Bear in a Billion: EXPOSED (#1) (4 page)

“Um?” Laila said.

“Sure,” Katie said.

Ethan motioned to the empty chairs.

“Take a seat.” He opened a cooler. “I’ve got Sun Rock beer or Sun Rock beer. What’s your pleasure?”

“Sun Rock?” Haley said, more than pleased with the direction the evening was taking.

“Sun Rock it is.”

**********************

 They sat around the fire and chatted, and Haley felt a real warmth, not just from the fire, and not just from Ethan, but from the community. The protesters stopped by between their various campsites, and it felt like a big family. Even Laila seemed to calm down and enjoy herself. It turned out that Ethan had been living in his van on the beach since the protest had started. He was originally from the San Francisco Bay area but came here years ago to surf, and he fell in love with the place. He’d been surfing the break at Coop Cove ever since.

“So you’re a reporter?” Ethan said.

“Unemployed reporter,” Haley corrected him.

“Freelance reporter,” Ethan said. “And you said Katie helps people with their modems, and Laila’s a virtual assistant?”

“Basically,” Haley said. “And I think I like being freelance better than being unemployed. Thanks for that.”

“Not a problem. Though they pay about the same.”

“No kidding,” Katie laughed.

“So what do you do, Ethan?” Laila asked.

“I surf.”

“And what else do you do?”

“I surf some more.”

“And then?”

“Then I try to stand up to the people who are trying to bring their industry here. I’m a cameraman, so if I can get some footage and get it to the appropriate news outlets, we might get some traction.”

“Does that pay enough?” Laila asked. “The cameraman thing?”

Oh, boy. There she went. Always the practical one, Haley thought.

Ethan laughed. “Sometimes I get some work locally. Enough to get by.”

“Speaking of getting by,” Laila said. “We should get going.”

“Wait, don’t you want to see the grunion?”

“What are grunion?” Laila asked.

“You’ll see,” Ethan said cryptically.

“Sounds intriguing, but we’ve all got an early day tomorrow,” Laila said.

“Not that early,” Haley said pointedly. She knew she had said that she only wanted to go for a quick stroll, but that had all changed the moment they had run into Ethan. She hoped Laila didn’t blow it.

“Here’s an idea,” Katie said, shooting Haley a quick wink. “Why don’t you two go see the grunion, and Laila and I will head back.”

Thank you, Katie. That’s a perfect idea, Haley thought. Please don’t screw this up, Laila.

“Ethan, do you think you can walk Haley back?” Katie asked.

“Sure. If it’s all right with Haley?”

“Sounds good to me,” Haley said.

“It’s settled, then,” Katie said, taking Laila by the arm. “We’ll see you around, Ethan.”

Haley couldn’t help but smile as Katie hauled Laila out of there. Katie had her back. Laila did too, but she wasn’t always as quick with the social cues. Ethan was quite the catch, Haley thought. Tall, handsome, and relaxed. Sure, he didn’t have a regular job and he lived in his van, but the man had saved her life. That was worth something. That was worth a whole lot of something. “So tell me about these grunion,” Haley said.

“Telling is the wrong verb,” Ethan replied. “I’ve got to show you.” Haley felt a tingle of excitement as Ethan took her hand in his. “Come on, California.”

Chapter Three

Ethan’s bear roared inside of him. He felt like the luckiest guy alive. One minute, he was socializing with his protestor pals, and the next, Haley appeared like she had walked out of a dream. Haley was so radiant, curvy, and tall that his bear would have jumped right out of his skin if Ethan had let him. Ethan had intended to give Haley her space, to get to know her slowly so as not to scare her away. But this was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Carpe diem.
His bear was in love.

Even if the timing wasn’t perfect, Ethan believed that things happened for a reason, and this was the second time that he had encountered Haley without really trying. The way she walked, the way she talked, everything about her spoke to him. He held her hand, his fingers interlaced with hers as they walked along the sand. It was forward of him, but he was an Alpha, after all. No sense backing down now. Of course, there was the little matter about how he’d presented himself, his living in his van, all of that. No worries, he thought. He’d cross that bridge when he came to it. If she was the one, she’d understand. Ethan knew one thing. Love was bigger than material things. Love was bigger than anything.

**********************

Haley had thought that Ethan was simply helping her up out of her seat, but then he hadn’t let go of her hand, and Haley liked it. She liked the warmth, she liked the gentle feeling of safety it provided, and most of all, she liked the tingle it made her feel—the tingle between her thighs. His presence excited her and she wondered if Ethan could sense the spark between them. They walked on, hand in hand, until they reached the edge of the ocean, the breakers crashing in, silver in the moonlight.

“So are we actually going to see these grunion things?” Haley asked.

“We sure are.”

“When?”

“Take off your sandals.”

“Why?”

“What are you, a reporter? When? Why? Where?”

“I told you I was a reporter. For a tiny paper.”

“How tiny?”

“So tiny I mostly wrote stories on craft fairs and missing cats.”

“So why aren’t you writing for it anymore?”

“Not enough people were reading it so they laid some of us off.”

“I’d read anything you wrote,” Ethan said, squeezing her hand.

Could this guy be anymore perfect? Haley’s heart did a backflip as he spoke the words. She doubted he could have said anything nicer to her than that. She felt like kissing him. Feeling her lips on his. Melting into him. But it was too soon for that. “I’m really flattered,” Haley said. “But you still need to tell me why I should take my shoes off.”

A wave crashed into shore, the cool water soaking her ankles and the hem of her dress as it rushed up the beach. Haley let out a little yelp, but she didn’t care if she got a bit wet. Not on this magical night.

“That’s why,” Ethan said with a smile.

Haley liked the cool water on her feet and ankles almost as much as she liked her hand in Ethan’s. She slipped her soaking wet sandals off. The damp sand felt good between her toes.

“So… grunion. You still haven’t even told me what they are.”

“There you go again with the questions.”

“I
am
a freelance reporter,” Haley said.

“Not to mention plain wonderful,” Ethan said with a smile.

She stopped and stared up into his eyes. Flattery would get him everywhere. But Ethan had a mischievous look on his face. Like he knew something she didn’t. Like he was toying with her. And in the next moment, a large wave broke, the rushing waters soaking her up to her calves. Haley let out a second little yelp, running to dry land with Ethan.

Then she screamed, practically jumping into Ethan’s arms.

Little fish were everywhere. Shimmering, silver, little fish that had been deposited on the sand by the wave. They weren’t more than three or four inches long and they flipped and flopped all over the place. Even on her toes.

“Eww!” Haley moaned, getting her feet out of there.

“Those, Haley, are the grunion.”

She punched Ethan playfully on the arm. “You could have told me they were fish,” she laughed.

“What would have been the fun in that? This time of year they come out of the ocean to spawn on the sand. It’s a California thing.”

Haley looked around as the little fish flopped up and down on the beach. Once she got used to the idea of the tiny fish squirming around her feet, it was amazing. Nature’s bounty and all of that. It was wonderful.

“They’re so beautiful,” Haley said.

“Not half as beautiful as you.”

“Now you’re just playing with me,” Haley said.

“No,” Ethan said. “I’m not.”

Haley looked up into his eyes. Ethan’s face was absolutely serious. She could tell he meant what he had said. Haley was a big woman, but Ethan was a lot bigger than she was. Tall and muscular. In fact, she hadn’t realized just how rippled with muscle he was until this moment. His white shirt billowed in the breeze, his shoulders square, his body hard, his kind eyes welcoming. Everything about him was so perfect just looking at him made Haley feel a little self-conscious. Like she wasn’t worthy of that kind of man. But she knew she couldn’t allow herself to think that way. Her old boyfriend may have made her feel that way, but this wasn’t her old boyfriend. This was Ethan. The man who had saved her. And here he was, with her, on a moonlit night.

“You are the most beautiful creature,” Ethan said. “And don’t let anybody ever tell you otherwise.”

Another wave crashed to shore, depositing its cargo of tiny silver fish on the sand, and Ethan ran his strong hand down her back, pulling her near. She pressed her thighs together to quell the excitement growing within her even as she felt his hardness pressed against her. Her nipples tightened at his touch, a thousand thoughts running through her head as he looked into her eyes. Who was this man who had saved her, really? Why was he so interested in her? What did she have to offer him? His lips hovered over hers.

Now. Please kiss me now.

And Haley’s wish was granted as Ethan’s lips touched hers. The feeling was electric. Soft, yet firm at the same time. Like she was being kissed for the first time ever. She didn’t care about the tiny fish anymore. She forgot about her doubts. All she cared about was him. She felt him press his tongue into her mouth, and she let him, opening up to him. He probed her mouth deeply and she did the same.

It was like exploring a new country. He tasted good, fresh, and the more her tongue swirled in his mouth, the hotter she became. She felt him reach his strong hands down her back, grabbing her ass as she felt the hard bar of his cock pressing into her abdomen. His rigidity made her tingle with anticipation and she only wanted one thing. More.

Their tongues danced, tips massaging each other, reaching for the recesses of each other’s mouth, and he swooped her into his arms. The beach was deserted, only the darkness and moon and stars surrounding them.

Ethan laid Haley down in the sand and began undoing her dress. It had buttons all the way down the front and Haley immediately regretted her choice of attire. It was going to take forever to unbutton that dress. Ethan unbuttoned the first button, then the second. As Ethan’s fingers moved down to the third button, she found herself getting wetter and wetter, her pussy positively dripping with need.

Couldn’t he just rip it open already?

“I want you,” Ethan said. “I’ve wanted you from the moment we met.”

“Then take me.”

Ethan ripped the dress open. Buttons popped off left and right, but she didn’t care. She wanted to be open to him. She needed to be open to him. Ethan cupped her large breasts between his powerful hands, and popped them out of her bra. She thrilled at his touch as he dropped his clean-shaven face into her cleavage, dropping butterfly kisses all the way down and then up the slope of her left breast. Tiny electric pulses shot out from her core, hinting at the pleasure to come. And there would be pleasure. Haley knew that for certain. She could tell by Ethan’s touch that he was no amateur. The man knew how to please a woman.

He was lying down beside her now, in the sand, and his kisses finally found her hard bud. His tongue swirled around the aureola, licking her, loving her. Oh, how she wanted him inside of her, how she wanted to feel all of him. She reached down his rippled chest as his tongue caressed her, the tiny electric shocks growing more and more powerful. And then he took her nipple into his mouth, tugging at it with his lips. Jolts of pure pleasure shot out from deep within her.

Haley gasped, inhaling sharply, and as she did, Ethan slid his hand down her hip and pressed against her. Everything about him was hard. His chest, his arms, his cock. Ethan’s lips let go of her nipple, licking and kissing their way to her other breast. She reached deeper down his chest, down to his waistline. She didn’t even have to open his shorts. His rigid length was already there, standing at attention, blood coursing through its girth. Ethan was a big man, and he was hiding more than she would expect behind that sheepish smile—much more. His tip was already silky smooth with his essence, his rigid shaft so wide, so substantial she had a hard time imagining taking it all in. She grasped it, pumping down his length.

“You are such a catch,” he groaned. “You’re beautiful, baby. Everything about you.”

He licked his way around her other nipple and she felt tiny electric pulses build within her again, shooting out like little meteors of pleasure. She pumped back down his shaft.

Suck my nipple. Please.

He must have read her mind, because he wrapped his lips around it. She pushed her breast into his face, pressing against him, her pussy slick with need. And she felt his hand reach under her dress, gliding up her bare thigh. She knew she was dripping, she could feel it, her panties stuck against her petals. His fingers neared her treasure as he slowly tugged back on her nipple with his lips.