To Love a Bear Read online

  Boomer’s thumb slipped between her folds. It found that precious spot and teased little, orgasmic bursts from her. She cried out and shook with each orgasm.

  Just as they finished, Boomer hugged her close and flipped them over. Her back hit the mattress and they bounced. For a moment, he paused, eyes taking in everything about her as they softened.

  “How are you feeling?”

  She purred in response. Everything was heightened, each sense stronger than before. She tested her strength, taking his hands in hers and pushing. He responded with a gentle push back, as if he knew what she wanted. She could feel the power rushing through her muscles. It went to her head, pumped through her heart.

  “That’s not what I meant,” Boomer said in a hushed tone. His breath fell across her skin and sent shivers through her. “Emmy, I need to know that you’re okay, that you’re whole before we move forward.”

  Frustration bit at her, but she managed to temper the high that gripped her long enough to give him a straight answer. The smile she got in return was enough to bring it all rushing back. Boomer wasn’t holding back. He slammed home, his lips parting as his own pleasure took him.

  Emmy claimed those lips and the groans of ecstasy that slipped past his tongue. They were all for her and she hungered for them. His greedy pace built a ticking time bomb of heavy pleasure in her core. Each thrust doubled it until she thought she would break apart from the sensation alone.

  Then, just when she thought she couldn’t handle it, Boomer’s head fell back. He howled with delight and her orgasm burst. It shot through her body like stars. Each left a trail of tingling cold that curled her toes and danced upon her lips. She tried to hold onto them, to savor it, but they faded. Tiny aftershocks rippled, especially when Boomer slid out of her.

  She shuddered and grinned. Boomer leapt off the bed, but not before claiming a kiss from her. He returned with a clean towel, dusty rose colored.

  “When did you get this?” Emmy’s mind was her own and she recognized that it was not a towel he’d owned before.

  Boomer smiled sheepishly. “I gave Dominic a shopping list while you were out. He went a little overboard with the color, but I hope you like it.”

  For the first time, Emmy sat up. Across the end of the bed was the velvety soft blanket she’d almost bought the other day. Behind her were two pillows, one rose gold and the other pale pink. An incredulous laugh left her. It was hard to believe a man had bought decorative pillows.

  “How long was I unconscious?”

  “Only for a couple of days…”

  “Days?” That was not what she’d expected. Hours, yes. Days, no.

  Emmy pushed away from the bed, carefully padding around the house. The door had been replaced, the frame around it fixed as if a bear hadn’t shoved its body through it. In the bathroom, she saw a clean, white shower curtain and a soft, pink bath rug.

  Even the pillows on the couch were pink. She laughed when she saw the pink-handled knives next to the stove, sitting beside Boomer’s black-handled set. It was more than she could have ever hoped for. It was a home she could call her own.

  And Boomer had given it to her.

  Not only that, he’d given her the voice in the back of her mind. The bear inside her purred at the sight of him. It was pleased with their wake-up call and delighted with the den he’d created for her.

  Unable to find the words to thank him, Emmy threw herself into Boomer’s arms. Her feet lifted off the ground and he swung her around. The energy inside her felt endless, nearly restless. Yet, her stomach growled greedily.

  Boomer laughed. “We should feed you. Then you should shift. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.”

  “Food. Yes.”

  She kissed him again as if she could feed from him. Her bear writhed beneath the surface at the suggestion of shifting. It wanted to be free. Part of Emmy was scared—no, she was apprehensive. It was all strange and new, but she could do it.

  She could do anything.

  Donning clothing, she followed Boomer out to the kitchen. While he rummaged through the fridge for food, she caught sight of a glowing screen in the laundry room. Brows furrowed, she stepped closer.

  The screen of a small monitor showed four different camera angles, all familiar she realized. One faced the driveway out front, another the back door, and the last two showed the sides of the cabin.

  “Did you send Dominic out for this, too?” Emmy asked as she emerged from the laundry room.

  Boomer glanced up and quickly looked away. His lips were tight, the truth locked behind them. It didn’t take a doctorate to figure out what Boomer thought he was doing. Emmy just sighed and shook her head. The beast inside her growled at the sight of food on the counter. She stepped forward and gathered the supplies and went out to the firepit in the backyard.

  On the porch, she paused and looked up at the camera now attached to the cabin. Had it been there two days ago, it would have caught Hayden as he dragged her down the steps. She shuddered, reliving the moment.

  Her beast grumbled and reminded her she would never have to live like that again. Not only was she stronger, she had Boomer. They were an unbeatable team.

  As he passed, Boomer took the food she’d grabbed and relieved her of it before stealing a kiss. While he busied himself at the fire pit, Emmy thought about the surveillance system Boomer had set up. She understood why he’d done it, but she didn’t think it was necessary. Emmy was confident it would only capture deer as they meandered through the lawn.

  “He’s still alive,” Boomer said with his back to her. “We let him live. If he realizes what we are, he could come back with more hunters. I want to be prepared.”

  Emmy descended the steps and wrapped her arms around her crouching mate. He tensed before leaning into her.

  “You give Hayden far more credit than he deserves.”

  Boomer didn’t look convinced. The bear swirled through his eyes when he looked back at her. Concern and fear warred with the fierce protectiveness of his beast.

  She grinned. “I’m being serious. If Hayden thinks we could hurt him at all, he’s not going to come back here. He’s going to put himself first and pretend this never happened. He’ll rewrite his own history so that I never existed. Trust me.”

  The fire crackled and flared to life. Boomer stood and turned toward her to take her into his arms.

  “How about we compromise? I trust you, but we leave the surveillance up just in case. If anything, it’d be good to have around to keep Orion from doing anything stupid while I’m gone.”

  Emmy pulled back and raised a single brow.

  Boomer laughed, a gentle huff. “Yeah. He’s a notorious prankster. There was a time when he replaced every DVD in my cabin with the same CD. It was a collection of horrible pop music and I couldn’t escape it for weeks.”

  Emmy laughed. This was her new family. Even if she didn’t deserve them, though she was sure she did, she was happy to have them. Now, she just needed to keep them from killing each other.

  She kissed Boomer quickly before taking him by the shoulders and turning him back toward the firepit. “Food me, mate.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Emmy looked out over the work zone. Wood chips and logs filled the empty space. She could see down the mountainside now. An image of what might be built here filled her mind, a grand ski resort that would allow others to look upon the beauty of the mountain.

  For now, the view was nothing more than men and machinery. Though, Emmy was fine with that. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door of the first aid station. Even though bear shifters healed fast, they weren’t the brightest bunch and she quickly learned how badly they could hurt themselves.

  When Dominic offered her the job, she thought he was just being nice. On her first day, she’d given Orion twenty stitches. She’d shaken her head the whole time and had to place medical tape over his lips more than once just to quiet him. The next day, it was Morgan who found hi
mself in her office. A tree had fallen in the wrong direction and broken a few fingers on his left hand, forcing her to reset them before they healed wrong.

  Her job was tireless, but not thankless. Even though Boomer warned her that the cookouts didn’t happen often, they seemed to happen every weekend. As usual, she was the guest of honor. That meant the best chair was reserved for her, a sturdy Adirondack chair with cushioning.

  Just like she’d said, Hayden never came back. She was sure he was looking over his shoulder somewhere, waiting for a group of bears to descend on him. Just as she thought, the surveillance cameras captured footage of small rabbits and deer. Every now and then, it even filmed a giant grizzly bear.

  It wasn’t much, but she was happy with it.

  Movement caught her eye. Her sight was sharper now and she could see a wound half way down the hill. When she realized it was Boomer climbing toward her, her heart leapt into her throat. She jumped down from her perch and raced to meet him.

  He held up his hands and told her to slow down. She didn’t see any immediate wounds, but her heart didn’t let up. The beast inside her whimpered with worry.

  “Emmy, seriously. I’m fine.” He pulled her into an embrace.

  Still, she moved her hands over him, just to make sure. Boomer laughed and kissed her. With his lips close to her ear, he whispered.

  “It is my lunch break, though. Want to see if we can shake the first aid trailer?”

  She playfully punched him in the shoulder for making her worry. Quickly, her mind shifted, and she caught herself looking at the trailer, one brow raised. “It better not end up rolling down the hill.”

  Boomer shrugged as if to say, so what? She truly couldn’t believe these bear shifters had made it to maturity without dying. They were foolish and far too brave for their own good. At least they all had her to keep them alive now. She would do her best but made no guarantees that they wouldn’t have a few scars.

  For the time being, they would have to wait as she and Boomer locked the trailer door and tested its stability.

  Thank you!

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