The domestic sight made him pause. He sat back on his haunches and stared. Since the death of her sister, Alanisa, Willow hadn’t smiled and seemed withdrawn from the thing she loved to do most…sew. Nona told him many times she worried over her youngest cub.
Though he spoke with Willow on several occasions, he’d been unsuccessful in cheering her. She’d always laughed and smiled at his jokes but after Alanisa’s death, there seemed to be little or no happiness left in her.
But now, here she sat in the garden with Deveney teaching her to sew. And if he didn’t know better, the golden robe Deveney wore was a one-of-a-kind Willow creation. That brought a slim smile to his bear-shaped lips. Somehow Deveney retrieved Willow from the dark spot she’d slipped into while mourning the loss of her closest sister.
But still… He sighed. She shouldn’t be out of his room. If word spread of her existence, she’d be in grave danger. So many men hovered on turning
Proprius Bestia
, he wouldn’t put it past one to attack her out of jealousy. Every hair on his thick skull stood on end. On reflex, his sharp teeth bared. No one would hurt her. He’d see to that.
He surveyed the area and sniffed the air. The gardens were empty. This had to be the work of Nona. On most days, the gardens contained at least a dozen people from staff to visitors. Nona must have cleared the area for Deveney once she escaped his room. He’d have to speak with her about not immediately returning Deveney upstairs. Noting the plates stacked on the ground, he knew she’d eaten. One step, then two, he closed the distance between them. He knew the moment Deveney sensed his presence.
She sat upright, back straight, chin tilted, and looked across her shoulder at him. In slow motion, a sly smile brightened her face, sending an arrow of pride to his heart. His woman looked beautiful and as if she belonged in his gardens.
Watching her moisten her lips spiked a surge of raw, animalistic need deep in his core. Hunger for her rumbled through his gut and ignited his lust. Deveney stood, handed her sewing to Willow then walked his way.
In an attempt to see if she was easily intimidated, Tor reared onto his hind legs. As man, he stood at seven feet, as bear, almost eight. Lifting his head, he growled long and fierce just to test her fear. She didn’t miss a step. No hesitation stalled her movements. When she reached him, she tilted her head back, extended her neck to a position he knew had to be uncomfortable, and smiled.
There wasn’t an ounce of shake in her hands when she reached to stroke his belly fur. Her touch sent a chill down his spine. Slow and gentle, she ruffled his fur against the grain, making it stand on end. When he shivered from head to toe, causing the fur to fall back into place, she hugged him, rubbing her face in his coat.
Tor froze. No one ever touched him as bear. Being the fiercest and largest of the bears no one ever got this close, rubbed his fur or hugged him. Didn’t she know she was supposed to be afraid? He tilted his head and released the angriest-sounding growl he could muster. Her closeness set him on fire and melted his heart. This proved beyond a shadow of a doubt they belonged together. Now if he could only convince her to stay.
* * * * *
Somehow, Deveney knew Tor stood at the edge of the garden shadowed in the trees. So she waited. It took determined concentration to continue to sew with Willow and not go to him. Though she tried, he still maintained a wall around his thoughts, keeping her out of his head. Instead, she tuned in to his every movement. The soft pad of his paws to the ground graced her ears. It seemed to her as if he tried to sneak up on them. A wry smile tugged at her lips.
Excitement brewed in her gut. Did Tor have a playful side? Would he make a good father? Deveney swallowed hard against the sudden need rising to the top of her senses. She wanted him. In an attempt to keep her rampant lust for Tor in control, she focused on her plan.
No sex. Gain his friendship. Earn his trust. Show him I want to remain here.
Deveney closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on the silent mantra scrolling through her brain. When she opened her eyes, she saw Willow steadily piecing together a tiny version of the robe she wore. Though the other woman smiled and chatted, Deveney sensed her inner turmoil and pain. She wouldn’t let Willow down. Her brothers deserved to be saved. Determination molded a solid steel rod in her spine. In this she would not fail.
No matter what it took, she planned to convince Tor to test the possible remedy to their problem. She survived the trip and felt certain others would as well. Deveney inhaled deep. For a split second, she wavered as his scent filled her nose. Mmm, he smelled delectable, making her mouth water for a taste of his lips.
No
, she reprimanded her rampant libido.
No sex.
She rubbed her tummy, soothed the butterfly sensation and drew support from the growing spirit inside. This baby needed a father and whether Tor liked it or not, she intended to stay in Eximius Mundus.
Confidence guided her moves as she lifted her chin and looked across her shoulder at the massive golden bear she knew to be Tor. God, he was huge. When she moistened her lips, she hoped he didn’t sense her nervousness.
Be strong
, she reminded herself as she stood.
Curiosity took over with each step closer to him. Those eyes belonged to Tor, not some wild creature. Tor lived within that bear’s skin. Her palms itched to stroke his fur and test its texture. Excitement spiked through her, almost making her stumble when he rose on his hind legs.
Incredible, massive, tall and fierce
, filtered through her thoughts. She tightened her jaw and chose to show no fear. Instead, she maintained her position and didn’t back down.
Within arm’s reach, she tilted her head and smiled up in the face of a dangerous creature. This man-bear owned her heart. Every solid fur-covered inch of him controlled her sexual desires. She had to touch him. Both hands extended, she stroked his belly straight up as far as she could reach.
The softest sensation she’d ever felt tickled her palms. Thick golden fur filtered through her fingers as she rubbed him until he shook, replacing the displaced hairs to their proper position. She loved the feel of his fur and wanted to stroke him again. His fierce growl sent a chill down her spine and she sensed he warned her to back off. She refused. She planned to win this round of stubborn antics.
Deveney closed the gap and wrapped her arms tight as far as she could around him. Warm fur caressed her cheek. Touching him was euphoric. Taking one last deep breath of his aroma, she released the hug and stepped back.
She turned on her heels, tilted her head up and spoke in what she hoped sounded like a calm, confident tone, “Come, Tor. You and I need to talk.”
It took a great effort on her part not to laugh when the golden bear’s jaw dropped open. Surprise flashed in his eyes. Apparently, he didn’t expect her to stand up to him. Warmth spread through her and lifted her spirits at the small victory. She’d showed him. She meant it when she said she didn’t fear the bear.
She smiled inwardly, strolling to where Willow gathered their sewing. She didn’t fear the bear. But the man was a different story. Continuing her charade of total confidence, she stood tall and walked face forward with a smile plastered in place.
Willow rose with her basket in hand. She leaned close to Deveney and whispered, “I don’t think he saw what we were making. I’ll keep everything with me until later.”
Deveney hugged her tight and replied in a hushed tone, “Thank you. Hopefully we can meet after dinner and you can teach me more.”
“You got it. Good luck. Remember, you’ve got Mom and me in your corner, if that helps any.” Willow kissed her cheek and walked toward the kitchen door.
“It does,” Deveney stated before she got too far away. And it truly did mean something to her to know others wanted her to stay. Now she needed to convince one stubborn, bear-headed fool.
Standing beside the bench with her hands on her hips, she shot Tor as stern a look as she could and stated point-blank, “Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to join me? We need to talk and I’d like to do it now.”
Dumbfounded, Tor gaped at her. The woman had nerve. No one ever touched him as bear nor did they command him in such a manner. She stood all of five-foot-five inches tall and told him they needed to talk. It touched him deeply. He grinned inwardly, lowering to his feet.
Deveney equaled the perfect woman. Brave and confident. Beautiful and sexy. Her touch lingered in his fur as he ambled over to her. When he stood directly in front of her, he changed. The magic sizzled in the air, heated his skin and increased his awareness of her. He should’ve known to wait and change when they were apart. Now it was too late.
Every ounce of him fired to life. He stood naked in man form. It didn’t help that he was rock hard for her. He wanted her. The sexual pull of the mating magic guided his cock and burned through every ounce of him, making it difficult for him to think of anything other than being hilt deep within his love.
Staying calm and collected grew increasingly harder with each intake of her musky mating aroma. It made his cock twitch and his breathing difficult. He wanted to kiss her anger away and touch those beautiful ripe breasts, which sat perfectly fitted in the golden robe. The deep-vee front allowed easy access. He fought the desire to gather her in his hands and sample those luscious nipples.
Stop!
Tor commanded his thoughts. She wanted to talk and it seemed important to her. He struggled to remain in control, but the mating magic fueled his need and spiked his lust to an all-time high. Every ounce of him wanted Deveney.
Tor fisted his hands at his sides in a desperate attempt to keep from touching her. When she stepped closer, he stiffened his spine and tried to focus on something other than sex with Deveney.
He grappled for control over the rampant urges captivating him. In a vain attempt to redirect his thoughts, he focused on her safety. The garden was empty for now, but how long would that last? His need to get her safely out of sight intensified.
“Deveney, you must return to the room. It is for your safety that you must stay within the walls of the room.” He hadn’t meant to sound so commanding, but he did as he stepped toward her. The sight of her eyebrow arching and her lips thinning made him instantly regret his stern tone and stilled his movements.
Her shoulders straightened and her jaw tightened. Her determined, steady gaze leveled on him. The heat of her stare turned him on even more. He sensed her anger and hungered to soothe it. Tor steeled his resolve, determined not to touch her. For if he did, he knew he’d lose this battle of wills.
Seeing Tor shift had turned her on. What a magnificent sight it had been. The bright golden light streamed around him as the bear disappeared and the man returned in a phenomenal show of magic. For a second, she’d reveled in its heat and soaked in the radiant glow. Power seeped into her veins.
When Tor stood before her in all his glory, naked and hard for her, she’d wanted to reach for him, but resisted. Desire tormented her. Her insides knotted. Deveney dug deep for a measure of restraint to resist the urge to mate with Tor. The words
sexual torture
fried her brain. God, this was more difficult than she thought it would be. Seeing Tor poised and ready made her wet with anticipation of having him buried within her heat. Need sizzled through her veins, but ground to a halt at his commanding tone.
“Tor, you may be the ruler of these people, but you do
not
rule me.” It took sheer will to refrain from poking him in the chest as she spoke, but she feared if she touched him even slightly, her anger would switch into a molten need to fuck him.
Thank you for being so arrogant
, she silently decided. If he flaunted this superior attitude in her face, she’d win. Male arrogance always riled her. His demanding tone doused a small enough portion of her desire she gained a grip on the reins of her lust, even if temporarily. She swallowed hard, folded her hands over her lower abdomen for an added boost of support from the baby and faced her opponent. Though she hated to think of Tor as an opponent, she had to in order to maintain control over her raging hormones at the moment. She prayed Willow was right about only females sensing a pregnancy in the early stages.
Deveney stepped closer until only the length of his rigid cock separated them. Deliberately, she looked at the object of her desire, then returned her gaze to his, licked her lips and sighed breathily.
“What a waste of a beautiful piece of anatomy,” she managed to state in as husky a tone as she could muster. Need for him contorted her insides, but she refused to give in.
Think of the baby
, she silently reminded herself. That gave her the edge. In a bold move, she grabbed his cock and guided him to a seated position on the nearest bench.
Pure need drenched her entire being at the touch.
Wrong move.
She shouldn’t have touched him. But she did. Closing her eyes, she gathered the shredded edges of her resolve. Resistance made her strong and would weaken his will. Sooner or later, he’d admit they were mated. Determination to stick to the plan nearly waned but she fought to stay focused on her goal.
The baby needed its father.
Opening her eyes, she met Tor’s hot, sexy gaze. Her knees weakened, but she refused to buckle.
Deveney straddled his lap, kept her robe covering her sex and gathered his face in her hands. In a slow, sensual tease, she moved her hips back and forth, gliding her clothed sex up and down his hard-on. She placed tender, heated kisses on his closed eyes, his cheeks and then his lips. She acted quickly and caught his wrists before his hands slid inside her robe to cup her breasts. She knew if he did, she’d be lost. As it was, she dripped moisture from the brush of his cock against her sex. Every ounce of her begged for him. But she refused.