Authors: Anya Nowlan
“Oh, you’re up. Good! I’ve re-made that tea about ten times now,” the voice said, his chuckle echoing through the cabin. Christie whipped around on the couch to face the voice, finding herself staring at the brown-eyed man from the trail. Her head spun for a moment, reeling at the implications. For once in her life, Christie was caught without anything to say.
“I hope I didn’t scare you too bad,” the big lug of a man said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. He was tall and built like a house, broad and powerful. She could imagine him throwing together a moderately sized building in half a day’s work and then stalking off to slay mythical beasts and save fair-haired maidens. Though, in this case, she seemed to be playing the part of the maiden. Christie cleared her voice with a small cough and eyed the man, her green pools littered with worry.
“I…um. Where am I?” The man stood just a few feet from her, at a respectful distance, but close enough that she could see him fidget as nervously as she was. If she weren’t so entirely confused, she would have found his slight anxiety endearing. In fact, if she was in the right state of mind, she would have quickly realized that there was a familiar heat starting to grow in her core and that she felt far too relaxed around an unknown man who may or may not be a werebear.
“You’re in my cottage. When you passed out, I didn’t really know what to do, but the rain was coming so I took you up here. You weren’t far from it anyway, coming up the trail and all that. Uh, I’m sorry if I startled you,” he apologized again, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. For such a big man, he had a certain boyishness about him that immediately appealed to Christie. She had always been rather strict as far as her personality went, so being around people who didn’t take themselves quite as seriously was always an odd sort of relief. His stuttered apologies and the fact that he had clearly done his best in trying to make her comfortable while she rode out her unfortunate fainting spell made Christie calm down a bit, her senses slowly returning to her.
“I…I think I’m alright, thanks. I’m Christie,” she said, casting a quick look around her surroundings. The cabin was spacious enough but not overly so. It was built for comfort and set up after a man’s hand, not a thing that wasn’t needed cluttering the walls or tabletops. She grinned to herself slightly, realizing how quickly her worries seemed to fade away.
Only you can meet a werebear and then think his house is more interesting than the fact that he’s some sort of man-bear,
Christie mused to herself, bringing her eyes back to the man.
“I’m Callum, pleased to meet you,” he said, his deep voice like honey to her ears. It made her core tighten and twist, an odd sense of need starting to bubble within her. She had been alone for a while, but it had been by choice. No man ever made her knees tremble or her thoughts skip a step, but this lumbering beast of a man seemed to have a rather sudden and unexpected effect on her sensibilities.
“Callum…” she said, letting his name roll off her tongue. She smiled at the man and gave him a nod. “Likewise. Now. Have I gone insane and started seeing things or did you in fact turn from a bear into a man in the forest earlier?” One eyebrow quirked up, Christie fairly amused that she got to ask a question like that in the first place.
A heavy load seemed to be lifted from Callum’s shoulders and he perked up visibly. With a few quick strides, he had crossed the distance between himself and the couch and hopped over the backrest to land on the cushions with trained ease. He moved much faster than Christie would have expected and she barely had enough time to curl her legs under her before the man plopped down next to her unceremoniously. He smelled like pinewood and ginger, a bit of edge to his calming presence. She breathed him in and being so close to him made her physically ache for him, something that struck her as both entirely odd and deliciously compelling. Her worries were brushed to the back of her mind and all of her attention was centered on the mysterious man next to her.
Who is he and why does he have this effect on me?
Callum turned to face her, sprawling out comfortably on the couch. Christie gripped the edge of the blanket a little harder, still wondering why she felt so safe and secure around a man who had just a bit ago scared her out of her wits.
“Yup, I was a bear. No point in trying to hide it, I guess, seeing as you watched me shift. I’m a werebear, my pack lives in these parts. I was just making a trek to town when I met you, almost on my doorstep. I think I panicked a bit and didn’t want to have you running down a cliff screaming, so I turned into my human form.” He blushed again, thinking back to their awkward first encounter. “But you can be assured that your sanity is intact.” Callum flashed a quick grin and Christie couldn’t help but mirror it. There was something about him that drew her to him and she found it hard to resist. As if she had always known him, but just never met him in person until then.
Callum gave her a long look and Christie fell into his warm gaze, his eyes much the same no matter what form he was in. Her breath caught in her lungs as a feeling of warmth flooded over her, like she was at just the right place at the right time and now everything would be alright, because she was with him. All her stress wafted away from her, leaving behind the invisible string that tied them together and that had suddenly given her such comfort. Callum exhaled deeply after a long while, their eyes locked in a silent conversation. He wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue and heat pooled between Christie’s legs, the desire to kiss him taking over her senses.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked with a quiet voice, making Christie’s brows furrow and then arch in surprise. She nodded slowly, hesitantly, and he chuckled in response. “Well, I never expected it to happen quite like this, but there you go. Life doesn’t exactly plan itself according to your wishes, does it.” He slid towards her on the couch, eating up the space that was left between them. His body was large and imposing, Christie feeling insignificantly small next to his muscled torso and thick legs. The realization that he must have carried her back to his house struck her suddenly and she bit her lower lip, warmed by the thought that it must have been no strain to the impressive man. She wanted badly to reach out and touch him, but by twisting the fabric of the blanket between her fingers managed to control that urge. Christie didn’t know what to say, as confused about what she was feeling as she had been about how she had gotten there.
“I think I’m piling too much on you too fast, but…Sometimes, when a werebear finds the person meant for him, both of them feel an immediate connection. It’s like someone binds them to each other and it is impossible to ignore. I’ve only heard about it before, as it is rare we ever finding someone that can understand us, but that’s what I think is happening right now. That’s how my brother found his mate and as forward as it sounds, I think I may have just found mine.” He frowned, listening to the words coming out of his mouth and being as dumbfounded by them as Christie was. Their eyes met again and she could see the hesitance starting to pool in him. Without thinking about it any longer, she gave in to the immense fire that had roared to life in her and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply.
CHAPTER THREE
Callum immediately pulled her into his wide lap, moving the tall redhead as if she weighed nothing at all. She gasped, but the fierce lock of their lips muffled it as his tongue dipped against hers, the girl desperately pushing herself against him. Callum’s hands roamed over her body in mirrored need, both of them suddenly very aware that there were far too many clothes on them and that they’d have a lot more fun without them. The feverish yearning for him had grown so suddenly and still made her mind reel, but she didn’t want to question it. He made her feel at ease, safe and secure, and that was all she had ever wanted. When he looked at her, she felt like he could see through the rough exterior and appreciate her for both of her sides, the soft and the tough. It soothed her battered heart and fanned the flames of desire for him.
They couldn’t get enough of each other, their kiss long and passionate. She nipped at his lip with her teeth and he threw the blanket from her, having her straddle his lap. His hands slipped up her sides and cupped her face, pushing her away from the kiss for just a second.
“You’re gorgeous,” he whispered, and the deep baritone sent a shockwave through her. Christie smiled at him, basking in the warmth of his presence, and lunged in for another kiss. Her hands pawed at his shirt, pulling it over his head with his help. He was carved perfection, muscles rippling under skin. She could spot several scars, marked bumps under her fingertips, as her hands explored him, and it was obvious he had worked and struggled all his life.
Christie wanted to know everything about him, learn about his pack and his past, but first there were more urgent matters to attend to. She needed him inside of her and it had to happen right away. Her fingers undid the silver buckle on his jeans just before he tore the oversized shirt off of her, obviously one of his.
Christie gasped but didn’t try to cover herself up, her usual slight shyness about her body forgotten in the moment. Callum drank in the sight of her, his hands running over her soft stomach and dipping between her breasts on their path upward. Christie moaned softly under his touch, seeking out his lips once more and letting herself fall into the kiss. Callum undid her bra and it slipped off her chest, the garment discarded to the side. His hands touched her breasts gently, rough fingertips circling her nipples and making them form into tight peaks. She groaned into his mouth, his kiss muffling it. The bulge in his pants rubbed against her heavily and she undid his zipper, pushing the jeans down a bit. When she lowered the edge of his boxers to reveal his throbbing cock and she felt its weight in her hand, she thought she would melt into a puddle right on his lap.
He shifted his hips higher a bit and pushed down the jeans to roll around his knees and then his ankles, the man laid out in his full glory for her. Callum nuzzled his face against her neck and the stubble on his chin tickled her slightly as he moved down towards her breasts. When he sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, making it stiffen into a delicate peak, she moaned loudly and wriggled in his lap, forcing her wet sex against his rod. He lapped and nibbled at her nipples, teasing her relentlessly while his fingers dipped below the band of her panties. She rubbed herself against his hand when his fingertips grazed over her clit, wanting him more and more by the second. Her hands tousled his hair as she grinded on him, delirious with need. It was comforting being sure that he wanted her as badly as she him.
Callum started pushing her panties down and then changed his mind. Christie gasped as she felt the seams rip under his powerful hands, the useless lingerie forgotten on the floor a moment later. He hoisted her up a bit by her hips and by cupping her mound in his big palm, shoving her upwards until she hovered just over his cock. Christie lowered herself slightly and her body tingled with excitement as his thick head pressed against her entrance, promising endless delights. He was big and thick, but she was completely flooded with her juices and ready to do whatever needed to fit him. When she sunk down on him, slowly, she could feel her eyes welling up with tears. He gave her all the time she needed, grasping her hip with one hand while his thumb circled her clit lazily, enticing her with the endless delights he could offer her.
She winced as he stretched her wide, the girl feeling immensely too small to fit his girth, but his warm breath on her neck as he kissed her and the slow rhythm of his pulse making his cock throb deliciously in her tunnel made her go further. She bobbed up and down on him carefully, learning to fit him, until she could finally take almost all of him. Christie gasped for breath, staying in place and hoping to adjust to him. Callum wiped a tear from her cheek and laid a kiss where it had rolled, his strong scent making her already dizzy head spin.
“Are you alright?” he asked, a growl tumbling in his throat and being barely kept down. Christie nodded, sweat dappling her skin, and the next moment she knew he had taken her fully. The man had grabbed her by her waist with his big hands and thrust into her. The girl screamed out, but it quickly died in her throat as he started driving into her with a steady rhythm, taking the pain out of the equation and replacing it with pure pleasure.
She purred with delight as he made her meet his rhythm, shoving her down by her hips just as he thrust upwards. While never being a prude, Christie hadn’t been given much opportunity to truly enjoy the wicked delights that two bodies could bring each other. It was very clear that with Callum, all of that would change. She kissed him hungrily, her nails raking down his broad shoulders. Her clit bumped against him as she rode him, the sensation of him rubbing against her making her stomach twist and hot and cold flashes run through her spine. Their moans coiled together and the smell of sex and lust took over. Christie couldn’t see or hear anything but her immediate pleasure and the heavenly man she had so happily found.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist and moments later she found herself on her back, staring up at the ceiling until Callum’s boyish smile filled her vision. He kissed her as her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling the man into her more. Long fingers trekked down his chiseled chest, marked with brown curls of hair, and down to his abs and navel. She reveled in the feeling of his body responding to her touch, his skin breaking out in goose bumps wherever her fingertips trailed. The big man with his commanding presence could be brought to his knees by the touch of the right woman and it made her giddy to know that she was that woman.