Her Christmas Bear (4 page)

Her plan had been to stay until after Christmas. She’d taken two weeks’ vacation and she had no one waiting for her back home. She worked for a small television studio, writing copy for local productions. It was interesting, but didn’t pay much. She’d kind of fallen into it when she’d interned there during college.

When she was a teenager, she’d decided to live fulltime with her mother so she could finish high school early and leave for college as soon as possible, starting a life completely on her own. She sighed. No one had ever really wanted her she thought.

No one but Marcus
, the voice inside her head insisted. She shook away the thought. It couldn’t be that simple. He couldn’t take one look at her and
know.
Know she was the one he wanted for the rest of his life.

She got into her rental car and made her way back to her friend’s house, her mind in turmoil thinking about Marcus. A bear shifter who claimed she was his mate and was a damn good kisser to boot. Thinking of him and what all she knew he could do with that talented tongue had her shivering beneath her puffy parka. Her pussy clenched, wanting him now. Wanting him forever.

No. That’s not what she wanted. She didn’t want a man who proclaimed his love, then one day, out of the blue, decided he was moving on. Leaving her and their children behind.

That was your parents. Not you,
she tried to tell herself.
Not Marcus.

She opened the door to Patsy’s house, stomping off the snow before she came inside. “I’m home,” she yelled. She’d learned the hard way the first day she was here to announce herself before entering a room. She’d walked into the living room, catching her friend with her wolf shifter husband in a state of, umm, undress.

She loved the fact that her friend had found a man who seemed to worship the ground she walked on. Was that how it was with mates? The instant attraction? The long-term commitment? Never ending love? But what happened if one of the parties didn’t return the feelings? What happened if the woman didn’t fall in love with the shifter?

“In here, Hope.”

Hope placed her packages next to the stairs, intending to take them up before dinner. She’d bought a few more things for Patsy and Gary, wanting to show her appreciation for taking her in during the holiday.

A holiday that was turning out way, way different than what she had envisioned.

“Are you decent?” She walked down the hallway admiring the huge house again. Her friend had good taste.

“Yes. You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Nope,” Hope answered with a grin. It was so good to be here, she thought. Grabbing a grape from the fruit bowl sitting in the middle of the marble island, she took a seat. Patsy stood on the other side of the counter, preparing dinner.

Hope never would have thought that her friend would want to be Miss Susie Homemaker. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Oh, who was she kidding, she’d trade her eyeteeth to be in Patsy’s position right now. She had a great job, a beautiful house, and a man who thought she was the best thing since sliced bread if the hot and heavy sexual escapades she’d caught them in was anything to go by.

But would it last? She thought of Marcus and the promises he had made her—both implied and explicit. Like fucking her until she screamed. The more she thought about it, the more she got on board with
that
idea.

Patsy glanced up and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “Alright, girl, what’s troubling you?”

“Nothing.” Hope plucked another grape from the bowl and popped it into her mouth.

Her friend threw her a disbelieving stare. Opening a cabinet above her head, she pulled down a clear container and sat down beside Hope.

“Now talk.” The container was filled with snack sized chocolate bars. Hope looked at the grapes then at the chocolate. No contest. Reaching inside she pulled out some much needed milk chocolate.

“I’m nervous about tomorrow.” Tomorrow was her date with Marcus.

“What’s there to be nervous about? It’s a date.” Patsy took a chocolate treat for herself.

“I’m just. I don’t know, out of sorts.”

“Probably because you’re thinking of getting your V-card restamped.”

Hope coughed, choking on the bite of chocolate she had just taken. “Patsy.”

The other woman grinned. “What? It’s been like three years since you had a serious relationship and even then I never was truly convinced you had an orgasm with him. You were way too uptight when you were dating him.”

This time Hope was prepared for her friend’s outlandish comments and didn’t choke as she ate some more chocolate. “So he wasn’t the greatest in bed. Sometimes it’s like that.”

“Not with a shifter.” Patsy’s grin was downright naughty. Dirty even.

Hope thought about Marcus taking her to bed. Undressing her, kissing her, stroking her.

“Thinking about it aren’t you? Thinking about that big, ole bear shifter staking his claim.”

“No.” She felt her cheeks flush—hell, her whole body got warm. That’s exactly what she’d been thinking. She could even feel his teeth sinking into her skin at the side of her neck.

“Listen, Hope. You are my best friend ever and I’m telling you this as a friend. Do not run away from this because you’re scared or think you don’t deserve it.” She held up a hand when Hope started to protest. “I know
you.
I know how that brain of yours is wired. You think because your parents didn’t want you that you don’t deserve love.” She leaned in, making sure Hope was looking at her. “You do. You deserve everything. Happiness, a man to love you, a family. I know you want a family. Let Marcus in. Give the man a chance. That’s all I ask.”

“But what about this mate thing he keeps talking about?”

“It’s not a thing. It’s real and it’s wonderful. I know you don’t believe it, but if Marcus is saying you’re his mate, you are in for one glorious courtship, baby. Not to mention a hell of a life.”

“But—”

“No buts. Marcus isn’t going to toss you over his shoulder and carry you off to his den and keep you locked up all winter long. He knows no means no. You don’t have anything to fear from him. A shifter would rather cut off his arm than hurt his mate.”

“Really?” she asked. Never would she admit how titillating she thought the scenario Patsy had described would be.

“Really.”

She sighed, knowing her friend was right. What could it hurt to go see Marcus’s Christmas tree farm? Spend the day with him, get to know him. Fear and joy mixed together. It would be so simple to accept what her friend was telling her. She was Marcus’s mate and he would love her forever.

But how could that be? Granted she wasn’t horrendous to look at. She was more than passably pretty. Her figure—her curvy, cursed figure—was what made the doubts swamp her. She heard the echo of her last boyfriend’s words as their relationship had ended. Things she hadn’t shared with Patsy. Frigid. Ice queen. Unfuckable. He’d done a number on her self-esteem.

Dare she believe? Dare she believe that the gorgeous, wetness-inducing bear shifter really loved her? Wanted her? Just like that? It seemed awfully convenient that in the shifter world one could just go up to a person and say, hey, you’re mine, wanna fuck?... and the couple lived happily-ever-after.

It sounded too convenient. A perfect excuse for a man to mislead a woman. Not that the male of any species needed an excuse to fuck over a woman. Thoughts of her parents and past boyfriends intruded and she decided to follow her friend’s advice. She pushed them aside. They were no longer a part of her life and she’d be damned if she let anything about her past relationships with her mother and father or those douche bags with a dick for a brain ruin anything about the relationship she might—just might—have with Marcus.

That she so desperately wanted with Marcus.

“Hey, where did you go?” Patsy was looking at her with concern in her eyes and Hope forced the final, hurtful thoughts away.

She grabbed another piece of chocolate and popped it in her mouth. Grab life, she urged herself silently. She was leaving after the holidays, anyway. Maybe being with Marcus could be her Christmas present to herself. Her dirty fling before she settled back down into her pitiful existence. Well, so much for her earlier pep talk, she thought. “I was just thinking about what I should wear tomorrow.”

That diverted her friend’s attention and the women spent the next hour talking about clothes…men… shifters.

THE NEXT DAY found Hope and Marcus walking in the stand of trees nearest his house. After a trip up the mountain, keeping to the lower, gently sloping areas, they had decided to stop when it began snowing, taking shelter under one of the new gazebos Marcus had recently added to the farm. Hope drew in a lungful of clean, mountain air tinged with the scent of snow.

“It’s beautiful.” She pulled her coat closer, watching the snow fall. That’s what Christmas was all about, she thought to herself. Magic.

“It certainly is beautiful.” Marcus’s deep voice called for her attention and she glanced up. She realized immediately his comment had not been directed at the scenery surrounding them, but at her. Did he think she was beautiful? He’d been the perfect gentlemen so far today, telling her about the trees and his plans for expansion. He’d held her hand but she thought that had been more out of necessity than desire. She was sorry to say he hadn’t pulled her beneath a tree and kissed her like he had in Patsy’s front hallway. She wanted the feel of his lips on hers again.

“How much land do you own?” She tried for a neutral subject—and she really was interested. She found it fascinating that this man had carved out a career, a way of life, on the side of a mountain in Colorado.

“There’s about a thousand acres.”

“All planted with Christmas trees?”

Marcus heard the excitement in Hope’s voice and his bear rumbled with approval. They could make a good life here. Together.

“No, no,” he laughed. “That would be a fucking lot of trees. Higher up is mature timber that needs to be cut soon and will bring in a hefty income. But right now I want to concentrate on family outings. I ship a lot of trees during the holiday season, but I’ve never opened the farm up for families to come up and cut their own. I’d like to do that.”

“Why?”

“Because I want a family.” And he did, more than anything in the world. With her.

He made a decent living, had enough money in the bank to last him during his extended lifetime. But now, with Hope in his life, he thought of the future. His future. Her future. Their cubs’ future. Dirk now had a mate and they would soon have cubs no doubt. Maybe, if he provided more opportunities, more bears would settle in the area. It would be nice to see the shifter community grow. He didn’t want his children growing up without a clan.

For the first time, in a very long time, Marcus wanted to concentrate on the future. Not just exist, marking time. And it was all because of the woman by his side.

“Look, Marcus, I know you think that I’m special to you.”

“You’re my mate.”

“No, I’m not,” she insisted.

He simply shrugged his shoulders. Time would prove him right. He changed the subject, not wanting to see the confusion on her face or hear the anxiety in her voice. Soon, soon she would know he was serious. That she was his mate.

Like tonight.
His bear pushed forward. The animal wanted out. They were outside, it was snowing, his mate was beside him. In the animal’s mind, it was time to mate, fuck, claim. Primal, almost irresistible urges.

Marcus could control those instincts. For now. For just a little while longer. He wanted to do everything his bear desired, but he knew he needed to move slowly so as not to frighten Hope with the intensity of his feelings.

He studied his mate as she sat by his side, contentment settling over him like newly fallen snow. She was even prettier up close and despite her curvy figure she looked almost fragile. It brought out his protective instincts. Did she have any idea of the effect she had on him. On his bear? How every night since he’d found her, laying hurt and bleeding on the side of the mountain, he’d laid awake aching for her until he had to shift and run until dawn.

Fate had a fantastic sense of humor he was coming to learn. The other two bear shifters in Riverton had fought their feelings for their mates, pushing the women away until it was almost too late. Why the hell couldn’t his mate be more like Jagger’s or Dirk’s. Those women had set their sights on the two bears and went after them. He sighed knowing he had done both women a grave injustice with that description of their behavior. They hadn’t thrown themselves at the bears, merely expressed their interest and desire. Something he wished with all his heart and bear soul that Hope would do.

“I thought I’d make a pond over there for skating, maybe do some sleigh rides through the trees. Build a few more gazebos.”

“That sounds good.”

They sat for a few more minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Will you stay for dinner?”

He saw the look of unease that crossed her face and quickly added. “It’s just pizza and salad.”

“I don’t know.” She looked up at him, her face serious.

He moved closer, his big body blocking out the cold breeze that had kicked up. “It’s dinner. People do it all the time. I won’t hurt you, beautiful. That’s the last thing on my mind.”

The light flirtation made Hope smile, despite her caution in spending more time with Marcus. Marcus wasn’t a man you had dinner with, shared a kiss with and then walked away unscathed. He had dangerous stamped all over him. “That’s what I’m afraid of—those other fifty things on your mind.”

“Aaah, come on. You don’t give me enough credit. I have a least a
hundred
and fifty things I’d like to do with you.” He paused, his dark eyes glowing. “To you.”

Oh, man, she thought. This man had it all going on. Looks, size, charm. How was a woman supposed to resist?

A voice whispered through her head.
Maybe you shouldn’t.
If she hadn’t been looking at him directly, she would have sworn he had spoken, the sound of the words so deep and gruff inside her mind.

The instincts that had told her the last man she had dated was scum rose up inside her. The instincts she had ignored. This time they were telling her that Marcus was an honorable man—an honorable shifter. She wanted this one evening. Wanted to explore this shiver of attraction she felt toward him.

“It’s just pizza and a salad, Hope.”

Just pizza and a salad the big bear said. That ranked right up there with famous last lines like ‘come into my parlor’.

“I’ll be the perfect gentleman. I’d just like to spend some time with you, if you’ll let me.”

It wasn’t him she was afraid of, but herself. She gave into temptation anyway and prayed she wouldn’t regret it. “I’d like that, Marcus. I’d like that very much.”

Marcus wanted to roar with satisfaction when Hope agreed to his dinner invitation. He’d sensed the hesitation in her and played it low-keyed, just a pizza between acquaintances. What he really wanted to do was pick her up and carry her to his bedroom and not come out until spring.

His bear agreed with the man wholeheartedly.

Marcus, unlike his two bear friends, was not going to deny his mate. Far from it.

“Okay, then. Let’s go on up to the house.”

Still cautious about her health, he’d made sure they’d explored the area closest to the cabin. He’d loved watching her eyes widen in appreciation and the red that had bloomed on her cheeks from the cold. Next time, he’d get out the snow mobile and take her up the mountain.  They could stay out longer and he could show her more of his operation. He was proud of what he’d accomplished. Proud that he had solid assets to provide for his mate and cubs.

Cubs.

He stole a sideways glance at her, her voluptuous figure almost lost beneath the thick snow parka she wore. He could picture her walking beside him next Christmas, her stomach swollen with his child.

His cock hardened thinking of putting a cub inside her. She’d be so wet, so tight…

“Thank you.” He stood and pulled her to her feet and down the steps. He stopped at the bottom, turning toward her. He bent his head slowly, giving her time to move away if she wanted to. She didn’t. A sharp surge of desire welled up inside him, shaking him with its intensity. Instead of pulling away, she stepped closer, until their bodies were pressed together as close as they could get with the thick layers of clothing between them. She lifted her head to meet his. An answering fire burned in the depths of her green eyes. The hopeful, expectant memories of the afternoon seemed to spin around them, binding them tightly together.

Hope gripped the fabric of Marcus’s shirt to anchor herself down. When she saw the tautness of his face, read the almost hesitant look in his eyes, she stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. She’d expected him to take over the kiss, his mouth to be hot and fierce, his tongue thrusting and rough, despite the soft snow drifting down and the cold beginning to blow around them. Instead, he stayed still, allowing her to control the kiss. Her tongue slid tentatively against his but quickly retreated. She had never initiated a kiss before, except for a quick peck on the cheek when she said goodnight to a date she had no intention of ever seeing again.

The thought of never seeing Marcus again, of never being in his arms again, made her whimper.

“Easy, baby,” he pulled her closer allowing his lips to deepen the kiss, coaxing her to yield so he could explore her with tender strokes of his tongues. Her knees wobbled, threatening to buckle and her fingers loosened their hold on his shirt, only to tangle in his hair.

The kiss heated, deepened, as her hunger fed his. They stood there, in the falling snow, kissing, exploring… falling in love?

Finally, he pulled away, his chest heaving with his passion. She was relieved to see it wasn’t all one sided.

“Let’s get going.”

As they walked back to his house, his hand held hers and his thumb brushed across her knuckles. It was a simple touch, but downright erotic.

Marcus’s house was larger than it looked on the outside. It had an open concept that brought to mind the great outdoors. No doubt that was what he had hoped to accomplish since he was a shifter. A bear shifter that needed lots of room. A brown leather couch sat in front of the fireplace, the cushions looking firm but soft. She could almost feel herself sitting there beside him, her head cradled against his shoulder.

Stop it, Hope. That wasn’t what you wanted, remember? Men led to heartache.

“The bathroom is down the hall and to the right,” he said as he took her coat and hung it by the door. “Feel free to freshen up, if you want.” He gave her a smile that made the fire inside her flare back up.

“Thanks.” She walked slowly toward the back of the room and to another section of the house. She found the bathroom with no problem. After taking care of business, she looked at herself in the mirror mounted above the sink as she dried her hands. She hadn’t brought her purse with her, thinking it would get in the way when they were touring the farm. Now, she regretted that decision. Or at least regretted not shoving more than a tube of lip balm into her pocket. Not wanting to rummage through his things for a comb, she ran her fingers through her hair, fluffing it out the best she could. What makeup she’d had on had disappeared beneath the onslaught of wind and snow. And Marcus’s lips.

Going back the way she’d come, her steps slowed again at the huge windows at the back of the house. Marcus’s cabin—as he had called the eight room house—looked out over the mountain. Snow was falling, the heavy clouds making dusk settle in early. Large, wet flakes fell, one after the other until the branches of the evergreens looked as if they had been painted with sparkling frosting. It was beautiful.

Suddenly, doubts assailed her again. What was she doing here? She wanted Marcus Abrams and that terrified her. Was what he told her true? Was she his mate? And what responsibility did that bring? Thanks to the long talk she’d had with Patsy, she knew that shifters mated for life. That the shifter couldn’t cheat on a mate. That any children they had would be shifters. She’d have to learn to deal with not just hormonal teenaged boys and girls, but hormonal shifter boys and girls.

Marcus’s voice sounded behind her and she turned to see him standing just inside the living space. She remembered the heated kisses they’d shared. The way he made her feel every time he was near. How his simple touch made her body come alive. A tremor raced through her.

She took her time to study him. There was no doubt why she was attracted to him. He wore a thick, cable sweater even though she knew he wasn’t cold. Shifters, bears in particular, she had come to discover, had a very high body temperature. He had a beautiful thatch of wavy brown hair, eyes the color of chocolate and a build that would put an NFL lineman to shame. The man was freaking huge. And made her feel so delicate and fragile she wanted to hug him close just to savor that feeling. To make it worse, he had a smile that sent jolts of electricity zinging straight to her core—straight to her hungry pussy. She dropped her gaze afraid he could somehow detect the fluttering in her stomach, the rat-a-tat beat of her heart. “It’s snowing hard now,” she said.

“They’re calling for eight to twelve inches,” he replied.

She licked her lips as her gaze dropped below his waist. “That’s a lot of, umm, snow.”

“It is.” He smiled at her innuendo. “It might last all night long.”

“I certainly hope so.”

His smile faded and his expression tightened. “If you want to leave, Hope, I need to take you home now.”