Mail-Order Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 5) (8 page)

Reid smiled tightly.

“Here comes the bride!”
Damien yelled, snapping to attention.

Lauren walked in with Gramma
and Ne-ma by her side, and Reid froze. She took his breath away,
literally.

His bride was stunning. She
was wearing a white shift dress that flattered her curves, and there
were small pink flowers in her hair. She was clutching a colorful
bunch of flowers and she was blushing prettily

Lauren gave him a shy smile
when she met his eyes.

Reid wanted to roar with
pride. This beautiful female was his. She had never given herself
to any other man, and now she would be his forever.

Reid stepped forward and
offered her his arm. When he introduced her to his groomsmen, she
looked a little surprised that they had such a big wedding party.

“Wow, you look
dashing,” she complimented Damien, noticing his tux. “So
do you, buddy,” she told Eddie.

Eddie giggled and put his
hand behind his back to hide the rings.

They entered a room where a
Justice of the Peace was waiting. When Reid motioned to Eddie, the
little boy stepped forward and presented the rings to him.

Lauren gasped when Reid
slipped a delicate diamond ring onto her finger. The diamond was
small but the design was simple and elegant. It looked perfect on
her hand.

Eddie grinned up at her and
handed her a gold band. Before she placed the ring on Reid's finger,
she glimpsed her name engraved on the inside of the ring.

They signed the marriage
register and Graham and Nick signed as witnesses.

“Let's go grab a bite,”
Reid told everyone. He knew it was going to cost a bomb, but he
wanted to treat them to a meal at a posh restaurant to show his
appreciation.

“I want ice-cream!”
Eddie squealed.

“Ice-cream sounds
great,” Nick and Graham agreed.

Gramma and Ne-ma nodded
eagerly. “The weather's pretty warm, so ice-cream will be
perfect.” They tugged at the collar of their frilly pink
dresses, and fussed with their puffy skirts. Reid thought they
looked absolutely adorable.

He turned and addressed his
ragtag wedding party. “Thank you for coming to our wedding.
You're made this day all the more special for us. Thank you very
much,” he said softly.

Reid turned and kissed Lauren
tenderly on the cheek. “Thank you for being my wife.”

He meant every word. Lauren
was an amazing woman, so strong, caring and supportive. His ex-wife
had insisted on a grand, lavish wedding and a big, diamond ring. She
would never have settled for ice-cream and a simple, modest ring.

Lauren blushed. The smile
she gave him was bright and radiant.

“You're married now,
Aunt Lauren!” Eddie clapped. “Does that mean we're
staying here? We don't have to move again, right?”

Lauren opened her mouth but
Reid crouched down and answered, “Yes, Eddie, you're not moving
anywhere. You're staying here, buddy.”

“With you? In your
house?”

Reid tucked Lauren's hand
into the crook of his arm and took Eddie's small hand in his. “With
us. In
our
house.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

Lauren turned around and
frowned at Eddie and Damien. The two of them were whispering and
chuckling in the backseat. While Reid drove, Damien and Eddie had
been having a contest to see who could make the loudest fart sounds
with their armpits.

Nick and Graham were giving
Gramma and Ne-ma a ride back to their inn. They'd spent a truly
lovely afternoon with their wedding party. The ice-cream was great,
but the company was better. Ice-cream always tasted better when
shared with friends and family.

Lauren smiled as she took in
the occupants of Reid's car. This was her family now. Her husband,
her nephew, her cousin-in-law.

Reid parked the car and went
round to open the door for Lauren. Lauren smiled demurely at her
groom. He looked so handsome in his tux, and he'd looked really
happy today. “You should smile more,” she said, brushing
his jaw with her fingertips.

“That's what I've been
telling him,” Damien said as he spilled out of the car.

Eddie nudged Damien and
whispered fiercely, “You tell her.”

“Tell me what?”
Lauren said, eyeing her nephew.

Damien cleared his throat and
said, “I've been telling Eddie about the new computer game I
got. So...would it be okay if Eddie had a sleepover at my place
tonight? You newlyweds can have the whole house to yourselves.”

Eddie jumped up and down
excitedly. “Please, Aunt Lauren. Please!”

Lauren pursed her lips and
tapped her finger on her chin. “Let me think about it.”

“Aunt Lauren, please!
Just this once,” Eddie pleaded.

“I won't let him stay
up too late,” Damien said. “And I'll make sure he
brushes his teeth properly.”

“Well...all right
then.” She grinned at her nephew.

“Yay!” Damien
and Eddie cheered and hi-fived each other.

Eddie fidgeted impatiently as
Reid unlocked the front door. “I need to pack a bag. I want
to bring my dinosaurs!”

Eddie scooted into the house
as soon as the door opened. Lauren hurried after him and helped him
stuff some clothes, his toothbrush and his toys into a small bag.

Eddie hugged her and ran out.
“Bye, Aunt Lauren!” He bumped into Reid's legs and
looked up. “Bye, sir.”

Damien winked at them and
took Eddie's hand. “I'll bring him back tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Damien,”
Lauren said and went to kiss Damien on the cheek. “Thank you
for putting up that ad and writing back to me,” she whispered.

Damien froze. His wide eyes
darted between Reid and her. “You told her,” he said
slowly.

Reid nodded.

Damien's face split in a
grin. “All's well that ends well, eh?” He beckoned to
Eddie and held the door open. “Come on, buddy. Let's get the
party started! Hey, Reid, can I borrow your car? Nick and Graham
came by to pick me as I was wrestling myself into this monkey suit.”

Damien caught the car keys
neatly out of the air and gave Reid a two-finger salute.

Lauren stood at the end of
the driveway and waved until the car was out of sight. When she
couldn't see Eddie's cheerful face any more, she wrapped her arms
around herself and shivered.

She missed her nephew
already. She had taken care of Eddie since he was a baby, and they
were always together. She worried her lower lip, wondering if Eddie
would miss her.

“Don't worry, Damien
will take good care of Eddie. My cousin can be a pain in the ass,
but...I trust him with my life,” Reid said, putting a hand
gently on her waist.

Lauren exhaled a shuddering
breath and turned to look at her new husband.

“Eddie lost his
parents, but he has an aunt and two uncles who care for him very
much,” Reid said, looking deeply into her eyes.

Lauren nodded and smiled.
“Thank you, Reid. I know you're just doing this to protect us
from the wolves. I appreciate it, really I do.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR

“No.” Reid
gripped her shoulder. “You're not just my mail-order bride,
Lauren. You are my wife, my mate.”

Lauren stared into his eyes
and saw that he meant every word he said. “Reid...”

“I take my marriage
vows seriously, Lauren. I will be true to you, and I will love and
cherish you forever,” Reid said, taking her hand firmly in his.

He swept her up and carried
her into the house. Kicking the front door shut behind him, Reid
strode into the master bedroom and put her down.

His arms remained around her
waist as she swayed on her feet. When she looked up at him, Reid
captured her face in both his hands and kissed her.

His kiss was hot, slow and
achingly tender. His lips moved against hers, his tongue teasing and
tasting her. Lauren moaned and kissed him back, nibbling tentatively
at his lower lip.

She wrapped her arms around
his neck and stroked his soft brown hair with her fingertips.

Reid growled and deepened the
kiss. His tongue tangled with hers and began to slip in and out of
her mouth as he ground his erection against her.

Lauren felt her nipples
tighten and throb. She dug her nails into Reid's shoulder and
whimpered. She could feel the dampness between her thighs, and her
desire was spiraling out of control.

Reid pulled her dress up over
her head and shredded her bra and panties with his claws. He inhaled
sharply when he saw her standing naked in front of him.

“Lie on your back,”
he commanded. “I want to taste every inch of my wife.”

Lauren lay on the bed and
stared up at Reid. He shed his clothes and loomed over her, his
muscles rippling as his chest rose and fell with his harsh breathing.

There was a possessive,
predatory hunger in his eyes, and it thrilled her. The first time he
took her, he had been gentle and controlled. The moment he
penetrated her, he had realized that she was a virgin and he had
finished the deed quickly, almost mechanically. There was no
passion, no burning want and desire. Just shock and pain, and very
little pleasure.

But now she could feel the
scorching heat radiating from Reid's broad body. She glanced down
his glistening torso and licked her lips when she saw his cock. It
was huge but she was no longer afraid. She had felt his cock inside
her, and it had felt so good. She wanted him to take her again,
harder and faster this time.

“Spread your legs,”
Reid ordered. “Wide.”

He knelt between her legs and
she felt his tongue swirling round her navel. Slowly, his mouth
moved lower, and she gasped when he pulled her swollen clit into his
mouth.

He sucked hard and pushed a
finger slowly into her body. Lauren panted and pulled her legs up to
spread herself wider for him. He was her husband. She wouldn't hide
her body from him. She wanted him to see how wet she was for him.

Reid growled and pushed
another finger into her. As he worked his fingers in and out of her
body, he lapped relentlessly at her clit. Lauren could feel the
pressure begin to build low in her belly. Reid replaced his fingers
with his tongue and began to fuck her furiously with his stiffened
tongue.

Lauren cried out at the
sudden explosion of pleasure in her core. She blinked rapidly and
gasped. “That...feels amazing,” she rasped, trying to
push herself up on her elbows. Her whole body was still shaking.
What was Reid doing to her? His skilful hands and mouth were coaxing
the most incredible feelings and responses from her body.

She didn't want him to stop.

“More...I want more,
Reid,” she whispered.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE

Reid smirked at his mate's
command and plea. His mate tasted exquisite. His cock had jerked
violently when she came against his mouth, squirting her sweet,
sticky juices onto his tongue.

His bride was inexperienced
in bed, but she was a passionate woman. She was incredibly hot, and
her body was all soft, womanly curves.

It had just been sex the
first time. When he realized that she had never had a man before
him, he had felt an exultant male pride as well as a crushing sense
of betrayal. The knowledge that she had lied to him was like a
physical blow. He never wanted to get involved with a lying,
cheating woman again.

But after they cleared the
air and told each other the truth about their past and their
situations, he saw that Lauren was nothing like his ex-wife. He had
judged her too hastily and too harshly. He hadn't been fair to her,
and to himself.

Lauren was his mate.

There was nothing to hide
from his mate. And there was no holding back.

He was going to claim her
completely.

Reid covered Lauren's body
with his and fisted her wavy, black hair. She was so beautiful, so
pure in every way.

Kissing her deeply, he
inhaled her intoxicating scent and kneaded her bountiful breast in
his palm. He was never going to get enough of her. He would want to
make love to her every night, for the rest of his life.

Suckling her greedily, Reid
spread her legs with his knees and entered her. There was no pain
this time, only pleasure, and Lauren sighed as he slid smoothly in
and out of her tight, wet pussy.

His strokes were long and
languid as he took his time pleasuring and enjoying his mate. Lauren
arched her back and offered herself to him. He wouldn't refuse his
mate. He would take what she offered and give her more in return.

Kissing the swells of her
breasts, Reid caressed her undulating, luscious body, memorizing
every sweet, soft curve.