Bear to the Rescue (Bear Claw Security Book 3) (14 page)

“I know the feeling,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to kill the guys after you for a while now.” He ran a hand over her short curls and behind her ear, grinning as he felt her body tense slightly, a small smile at the corners of her lips.

He was already learning just how and where she liked to be touched.

“You know, once we’re mated, I’m going to be even more overprotective,” he said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight without a damn good reason.”

“I guess I’m good with that,” she said with a shrug. “I think I’ve had enough alone time to last a lifetime. As long as you let me work.”

“Of course,” he said. “I know how important it is.”

“Good,” she said. “Hey, now that there’s no one following us—at least that we know of—can you show me the backyard? I keep seeing you look toward those windows, but you’ve never taken me back there.”

His eyes widened. Of course. In fact, that was the perfect place to take her before he claimed her. He took her hand, helped her off his lap, and then tugged her toward the back door.

“I was probably overdoing it,” he said. “I mean, there’s a tall fence all around the property and no houses overlooking mine. But I just didn’t want to give anyone a chance in case they had a weapon or something. Call me paranoid.”

She nodded. “I get it. But you think it’s safe now?”

“Yeah,” he said. “The guys working for her will scatter now that she’s in custody. They’re hired hands. Without her to pay, they’ll find the next employer. And the online trolls? I doubt they would know where to find you.”

“I haven’t had any email threats lately,” she said. “So since it wasn’t them stalking me in person, I think we can pretty much write them off at this point.”

“Good,” he said, opening the door to the back and pushing her gently through.

She gasped as she walked down the three steps to the patio and took a long look around. “It’s beautiful.”

The backyard had a white fence with tall trees all around it, making it feel even more isolated. There was a little pagoda to the side of one of the groves of trees. The grass was lush, green, and well kept, and there were several small sections of flowers and smaller plants growing in front of the trees.

Regan let out a happy sigh as she took it all in.

“I wanted it to be a sanctuary,” he said. “For me and my mate, so we could have quiet time whenever we came here after a long day of work. After all, I’m always going to be in this business. I can’t seem to stop rescuing people.”

She grinned up at him, squeezing his hand. It was amazing how much her walls had come down, allowing him to truly see the warm, kind woman on the other side. “I guess I should be grateful for that, since it was your insistence on white-knighting that made us hook up in the first place.”

“That wasn’t my goal, but yeah. I’m glad it happened the way it did.”

“Even the kidnapping?”

“Hey,” he said, “I probably would have been caught by her at some point anyway. At least this way, I had a rescuer.”

“I’ll rescue you any day,” she said, reaching up to touch his face.

He laughed. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I think I’ll need to rescue you about five times before I get over being the damsel in distress.”

She laughed and looked out at the yard. “Can we go to the gazebo? I’ve never been in one.”

He pulled her forward, loving the feel of her hand in his and the knowledge that he never had to let go if he didn’t want to. “Of course. Anything you want.” And he really meant it. He couldn’t believe this woman was going to be his mate.

They crossed the yard hand in hand, and when they reached the pagoda, she stepped up into it and took a seat on one of the lush, oversized lawn chairs he’d put inside. He’d wanted a gazebo big enough for both him and his mate to rest inside and just listen to the birds and watch the shade move across the lawn, fresh air all around.

She leaned back on the lawn chair and put her hands over her head. “Ahh, that’s nice.”

He took a seat on the chair next to her, watching her for a moment, curves outlined in the beautiful evening light streaming through the gazebo as the sun moved over the trees. “Yeah, it is nice.”

She looked up at him just as he reached over and touched a button that adjusted her chair to a flat position. Her eyes widened and then softened as he came over her, sitting on the side of her chair and resting a hand on either side of her. Luckily, he’d bought chairs that were big enough to hold the weight of two if needed.

He couldn’t think of a better way to claim her than here with the sun setting over the trees and the country breeze blowing around them, lifting her little black curls slightly.

She gazed up at him tenderly and reached for the hem of her shirt. He helped her take it off and started to undo the buttons of his. Her impatient fingers helped, stripping him bare.

When her hands stroked over his chest and squeezed lightly on his pecs, he exhaled harshly and came forward to claim her lips with a kiss that promised forever.

Her hand found the back of his neck as they kissed, and he lost himself to the feeling of being so close to her.

“Regan,” he murmured against her lips. “If I don’t claim you, I’m going to break.”

She just laughed.

R
egan loved
the feeling of being there with her big, brawny bear. His tanned, perfect body was partially bared to her, golden in the waning sun. It was the perfect temperature outside, just completely beautiful all around, and she was glad he’d initiated their claiming out here because she couldn’t think of a better place to be one with him.

All the fear she’d felt was gone. It was like the moment you dip over the edge of a coaster and fall into the most fun ride of your life, all the anticipation and fear far behind you in the past.

She kissed him deeply, her hand grazing the stubble on his jaw as her other hand wrapped his thick neck. He opened deeper and his tongue swept in to claim hers, reminding her, even though he’d been helpless and tied to a bed earlier that day, he was all man and preferred to hold his own in the bedroom.

Still, one day, she might ask if she could see him tied up again. It’d be kinda hot without creeper in the picture.

She clenched her legs together as the ache there increased while Bronson kissed her just the way she wanted him to. He knew just how to swipe deep inside, filling her, thrilling her, as his hands supported her waist and back, his large body pressing close to her. He slowly pressed her back into the soft cushions of the chaise and kept kissing her as her head hit the pillow. Then she felt him straddle her—there was just enough room on either side of her thighs on the oversized lounger—as his kiss became even more heated and his hands found her breasts, giving them a firm, possessive squeeze.

The feel of his taut thighs surrounding her, his rough hands holding her, and his tongue caressing her was already enough to put her close to the edge. But the ache, the need inside her said only one thing would satisfy her at this moment. She pulled back from the kiss, gasping, and he immediately moved to her neck, placing love bites there that made her arch against him, trapped by his hips.

She squirmed at the sensations building inside her as his hands roughly cupped her breasts again and his hips ground into her, taunting her with the feel of his hard length trapped behind his zipper.

She groaned and reached for him, feeling his outline and aching for him to fill her in the place that was so hungry for him. She couldn’t wait to see how he felt with nothing between them.

He growled and looked down at her, handsome face feral and taut, ocean-blue eyes glowing, long lashes lowered as he looked over her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, from head to toe.

His long perusal only made her wetter.

Every single encounter between them felt like magic. But there was something more there, too, that got better every time. A closeness, a tenderness that was there despite the intensity or the roughness or the passion of the lovemaking.

She reached for his zipper and tugged it down, and he stood and stepped out of his pants. She let out a low whistle as he dropped his briefs as well, letting his giant member spring free.

He jerked off her pajama pants with one smooth movement and then pulled off her panties in the next. Then he leaned forward, pressing a kiss on her that made her jump slightly. She was already so aching and wet for him; he didn’t need to tease her anymore.

He knelt over her once more, and she stared at him, memorizing the moment in her mind. He was all hers, from this moment on. Nothing between them.

She caught her breath, wondering what the actual mating was like. But then she realized it didn’t matter because as long as this man was hers for the rest of their lives, she would be fine with however that had to happen.

“Bronson, I love you.”

He spread her legs, eyes moving over her hungrily. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

Then he plunged into her, and she relaxed into it, hoping to ease the fit that had been so tight inside her. This time was more comfortable, which just meant the time it took to change from tension to pleasure was that much faster.

She gasped as she could already feel something building inside her before he even started to move.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, pressing in deep, making her feel filled to the top of her head in the most pleasurable way. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, her fingers and toes trembling in anticipation. He withdrew, and she felt empty until he pushed all the way in again, stretching her in every way as she put a fist up to her mouth and bit it.

Whatever she’d expected, this was turning out to be so much better.

As he withdrew and then thrust again and again, she moaned out her pleasure with the trees and the wind all around them, the beautiful setting sun casting rays over them as she lost all rational thought and gave in to the pleasure inside her.

Though she felt lost in a swirling vortex, she forced herself to keep her focus on his eyes, tender and centered on her, connecting them as he moved them closer to whatever they were chasing. The more they went, the more she felt like she was away in the forests and mountains and the animal inside her wild and untamed.

And she could feel his close to the surface as well, could see an image of it in her mind. A much larger bear than hers, a grizzly. Together, once shifted, they could run across his land.

It was a happy image, one so positive she had to wrap her arms around his neck and hold on in order to last longer. She honestly wanted it to go on forever, because the intimate closeness of the claiming was just such an intense experience.

She felt like she was truly seeing the man she was going to become one with forever, and she hoped she could keep this kind of clarity long after the moment was over.

She hoped every time he made love to her like this, with so much care and attention, she could remember this perfect moment with nature all around them and nothing but silent communication between them.

No words to get in the way. She knew without speaking exactly what he was saying. She felt it in every move of his body.

Saw his insistent love for her. Knew he would never leave her. Knew they were it for each other.

As she got close to the ledge, she felt his hand come between them, tweaking softly at her center. With that, she felt herself tumble over into a waterfall of pleasure, refreshing and pure. The next moment, she felt him jerking inside her, spilling himself with nothing between them.

They could make a cub. The thought was shocking but pleasurable, and she wrapped herself around him and held him as tight as she could as they both came together, covered in sweat and breathing hard in pleasure.

Their bodies were one being, and she felt complete for the first time in her life, one with both him and the animal inside her. The one who had always wanted a mate but had been forced to give up on the idea because of her stupid parents.

Well, they were long in the past, and she’d found her own family with the bears at Bear Claw Security. And mostly importantly, she’d found Bronson.

Hero, knight in shining armor, chef, and amazing lover.

He stayed inside her, holding them both up with one hand and supporting her with the other.

“Regan,” he said, “you’re so… I don’t…” He sighed. “I never have the right words for you.”

“Maybe that’s the sign you’ve found the right woman,” she said, pushing hair off his forehead. “When you can’t be smooth.”

“Oh,” he said with a half smile, “I’ll figure out a way to be smooth.”

She grinned. “Then I’ll just figure out another way to keep you off guard.”

“You don’t like smooth?” he asked.

“I like you,” she said, running a hand over his scalp and watching him close his eyes in rapture. It was intoxicating to have so much control over this beautiful, strong man. “But I like the raw you. The one feeling things too strong to be smooth about it.”

“All right,” he said. “Raw. You’ve got it.”

They stayed like that for a moment, just staring into each other’s eyes, and then Regan laughed.

“What is it?” he asked, raising a blond eyebrow in response.

“So kinky,” she said. “You just claimed me outside. I had no idea. I’m pretty vanilla myself.”

He pushed up on his arms with a smirk. “Yeah right. I saw how much you liked me tied up.” He winked. “Maybe if you’re good, I’ll let you see that again.” He pulled out of her and walked to a small cupboard on the ground and pulled out a beach towel to clean off. When he was done, he wrapped it around his waist and brought a fresh one to her.

She took it and wrapped it around herself.

Just the sight of him, sitting on the chair next to her, massive, ripped torso on display, made her want to go all over again.

Instead, she walked over to sit between his legs and look at the last rays of the sunset.

“The first of many,” he said. “Right?”

“Yup,” she replied, resting into his hard chest as one of his arms wrapped around her waist possessively.

“Damn, girl,” he said, his voice teasing. “Are you a tech expert or something? Because I think you’ve hacked into my heart.”

Her jaw dropped, and she glared at him in mock offense as he burst out laughing. “That’s
terrible
. You been saving that one?”

He nodded. “Yup. Had to wait until I knew you wouldn’t leave me for it.”

She laughed. “Sorry, I wouldn’t leave anyway. You’re stuck with me now.”

He wrapped his other arm around her, overwhelming her completely. “Fine by me. Best assignment I ever had.”

And as she leaned back against her new mate and watched night fall on her new home, she found she had to agree.

T
hank
you so much for reading Bronson and Regan’s story!
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Zeus, Ares and Hades are bear shifters who brought the thunder as squad mates in an all shifter special forces unit of the army. Now they’re home and finding love in the most unexpected places with the women they were always meant to protect.

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Former squad leader Zeus is living as a recluse in the woods, with just one mission left. Win the heart of the curvy waitress that his bear knows is his mate, while protecting her from the gang terrorizing the town.

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