To Save A Bear Read online

  Chapter Eleven

  The house was empty when Reid got home. He’d taken the long way, stopping at a small chicken shack on his way back up the mountain. The bag in his hand smelled of poultry and smoke, a meal other than steak for once. Yet, he couldn’t find Addison anywhere.

  Immediately, he remembered the cameras and the hunter that’d scoped his cabin. Rage bubbled to the surface. His beast roared and tried to rip its way out of Reid. The bag of Styrofoam containers fell to the floor as he doubled over. He pushed against his beast, but it felt useless.

  The beast wanted to go find Addison. It wanted to tear the hunter limb from limb. His joints ached from the fight against his beast. They wanted to stretch and shift, but he wouldn’t let them. He wouldn’t let the bear out.

  It would destroy the house. It would give them all away.

  Just then, the squeal of brakes cleared his head. He lurched toward a window to find Addison’s car in the driveway. Why he hadn’t thought she would leave the cabin was beyond him. He felt like a fool, but the way she scurried toward the door had him racing to meet her.

  He threw open the door and she slammed to a halt, eyes wide as she looked up at him. Something had changed. There was a knowledge in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

  “Take off your clothes,” she demanded.

  “Whoa. You need to slow down. We can’t…”

  “Shut up and take off your clothes. That bullet hit you when the gun went off. I know it did. Where is the wound?”

  His stomach sank. No. She couldn’t know. He refused to pull her into this world she knew nothing about. It wasn’t right.

  Reid moved to turn away from her when he caught a scent. It was human and tinged with tobacco. Immediately, he spun around. His heart thundered, and Addison reared back from him, eyes wide.

  The bond that tied them together twisted and sent a sharp pain through his chest. Addison had met with the hunter. He didn’t know how, but he knew it hadn’t been long ago. Fear gripped him and screamed through his mind. Had she betrayed him? Was she in league with the hunter?

  No, that couldn’t be right. She’d shown Reid the cameras. They’d terrified her. That was when he noticed the way she cradled her arm. At first, he’d thought she was just crossing her arms over her chest. Now, he could see that she hunched over her left arm in pain, carefully holding it with the other hand.

  “Are you hurt?” the words entered the world, washing away the paranoia from a moment ago. He reached out and gently drew her into the house. She seemed as though she might fight, but gave in.

  He directed her toward the couch where he convinced her to let go of her arm. Peeling her sleeve back, he could see the beginnings of a bruise blossoming along her skin. His heart hammered while he checked the bones beneath, but he didn’t find anything broken.

  “Who did this to you?” His voice was a rumbling growl filled with the promise of violence. As he pulled the sleeve back down over her skin, his hands trembled.

  The bear thrashed inside him. Normally, Addison’s presence quieted the angry beast, but seeing her in pain had turned a bonfire into a firestorm.

  “A man. In town. He stopped me at the café and asked me all sorts of questions about you.”

  Reid shot up and paced around the room. He knew he should try to control himself, that he was probably scaring Addison, but he couldn’t be bothered. The desire to go into town and hunt the man that’d hurt her was overwhelming. For once, he understood what Boomer had felt when he’d tracked down Emmy’s ex-husband.

  He expected her to run, to close her bedroom door and lock it behind her. Instead, a pair of hands tugged at his shirt until he stopped. He turned toward her, and she took his face in her hands. Her touch eased some of the fire inside him but didn’t extinguish it completely. Not when she winced at her own movements.

  “Look,” she began. “I trust you, and I understand why you didn’t tell me you were…well, something other than human. If you told me right away, I probably would have run. Now that I know you, I know that I’m not going anywhere. You can tell me everything.”

  Reid’s heart twisted. He looked away, unable to put into words why he was so reluctant.

  She sighed and leaned her forehead against his. “Okay, so you can’t tell me. Is that it?”

  Unable to stop himself, he wound his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. The feeling of Addison pressed against his body grounded him. She was real and in one piece. She was there, with him.

  “If you can’t tell me, I think there’s someone else I can ask.” She moved to walk away, but he held on tight. She punched him in the shoulder. It was soft, more out of irritation than anger. “You can’t stop me, Reid. I’m going to find out what’s going on one way or another.”

  Reid couldn’t let that happen. He needed to protect her from herself now. If she dug too far and found out the truth, then there was no going back. She would never have a chance to live her own life.

  He found her mouth and pressed his lips to hers. At first, she protested. Then, she sank into him with a hunger that echoed his own. Her hands slid down his face to curl against his neck. Nails grazed his skin and brought a growl to his lips, one that she greedily devoured.

  ***

  Addison couldn’t believe either of them. She knew exactly what Reid was doing, and she knew she was falling for it. His tongue parted her lips and snaked into her mouth. She groaned with delight. This was what she’d wanted for too long. Perhaps the plexiglass barrier had muted the magnetic pull between them, but it’d only grown stronger the longer she stayed near him.

  Quickly, she stripped away the flannel shirt she’d stolen again and began fumbling with the button of her jeans. Neither stopped; neither were surprised at how they progressed. He’d wanted this, too. She could feel how he’d denied himself. It was clear in the way he gripped her, like she might escape him forever.

  She wanted to tell him she wasn’t going anywhere. Her fate had been tied to him since the beginning. Perhaps she was a romantic and a dreamer, but she felt something unlike anything else. It was as if their stories had always been bound together.

  Reid lifted her from the ground and staggered toward the kitchen table. Addison had a thought to ask if it was sturdy enough, but she couldn’t bring the words to her lips. Not while they were busy with his.

  Her shirt disappeared, and her bra quickly followed suit. To get even, she tugged at the hem of his shirt and hoisted it over his head. The sight of him was enough to take her breath away. Black ink rolled out from beneath his left arm, sprawling across the skin of his ribcage. Her eyes widened, and the need to explore overcame her.

  She lifted his arm away from his body, feeling the heavy muscle beneath it. The ink in his skin was dark. It covered his skin in thin stripes that she dragged her fingers along. They grew wider, becoming the tops of pine trees. Small, black birds flew away from them and, as the trees parted, a mountain rose in the valley.

  “This is beautiful,” Addison whispered. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to the mountain’s peak.

  Reid shuddered and groaned. She liked the way he reacted and explored further. Her lips grazed the soft skin over his ribs, feeling the rise and fall of the muscles over each bone. She let her fingers fall over the thin trail of golden hair that ran from his chest to his belly button. Below, she could see the result of her teasing begin to create a tent in his pants.

  “When was the last time anyone touched you?” she whispered before pressing another kiss to his skin. He acted as though no one touched him. She knew from experience that it was a crappy way to live.

  “Woman, I can’t think when you do that.”

  “Do what?” Her kisses led around to his stomach until she found his belly button.

  He shuddered again. The response sent a pulse to her core, one that flooded her with warmth and need. Her fingers hooked in the waistband of his pants and tugged. They caught on his hips, frustrating her when she needed to stop t
easing long enough to unbutton them. He leaned forward and gripped the table around her, unable to do anything while she worked.

  His ear was close to her lips, so she took it in her mouth. Her teeth nibbled at the soft flesh and pulled another groan from his lips. Beneath his hands, the table groaned. Suddenly, he swept her into his arms. His pants fell to the floor and he kicked them away. The length of his cock pressed into her core and brought a blossom of warm moisture.

  “If you touch me like that for much longer, I won’t be able to last.”

  Addison laughed.

  “I’m not joking, temptress. It won’t be fair if I can’t at least last long enough to give you an orgasm or two.”

  Something brave and hungry took over Addison’s mind. She spread her legs and smirked, suggesting there were other ways to give her a climax. A small part of her was horrified at what she was doing, but Reid didn’t miss a beat.

  He dropped to his knees before her and tugged at the waistband of her leggings. They slid free without much struggle to reveal the lace panties beneath.

  “Please tell me you wore these just for me.” He ran his fingers along the waist and down over her folds, making her muscles clench.

  “I, ah. Yes. I wore them for you.”

  Reid growled happily before tearing them down her legs. They flew across the room as if they’d never been there at all. Addison pouted, having thought he’d take more time exploring them.

  “They were pretty, but all I want is what’s beneath.” To punctuate his sentence, his tongue slipped past her folds. It danced over the most sensitive part of her until her head fell back.

  Reid licked and lapped at her in ways no man had ever bothered. He explored places long left untouched save by her own hands. Having someone else know how to excite her like this brought it to a new level. Her core clenched and warmed, becoming molten. The feeling spread between her legs until all she could smell was her own desire.

  She reached for his hair, fingers curling in the golden strands. As she tugged, he groaned. She held him like a tamer with a lion. He was a creature capable of a great many dangerous things, but for her he became a gentle cat. She wanted to see him, the true him.

  His tongue flicked her most sensitive part and she cried out before stopping herself. She swallowed the cries that came after until the pleasure in her became too great. She needed relief. The sensation was too great. It threatened to swallow her whole. Any moment, any thrust of his tongue, she would succumb and lose herself.

  Reid gripped her ass and pulled her closer to him. His tongue became fervent. It devoured her and sent pulsing ripples along the pressure in her core. She was close, so close. She ached and begged, unable to stop herself from needing release. Addison leaned back and spasmed in his arms. His fingers pressed into her skin, just enough to hold her in place.

  Addison hooked her legs around him. She hugged him until she couldn’t stand it any longer. Then, fingers plunged inside her and burst the bubble in her core. She screamed. The orgasm bloomed all through her body. It was a rush of tingling pleasure that raced from her core to her fingers and back again.

  Reid laughed, that boyish grin on his lips unlike anything she’d ever seen on him before. She tightened her grip in his hair, and his eyes rolled back in his head.

  Even though she’d already come once, Addison craved more. His cock still hung ready, a bead of moisture on the tip giving away his own fierce hunger. She reached for it and rubbed her thumb in the slickness. It spread beneath her hand and allowed her to stroke him from base to tip. Reid could do no more than shudder and growl.

  He leaned into her. His teeth found the soft flesh of her neck and nibbled along her shoulder. Could he bite through her? Could he kill her with one swift motion? Addison knew that he probably could, but that he wouldn’t. Reid touched her as though she were porcelain or glass.

  “I’m not going to break,” she whispered, her voice husky and hoarse from her screams.

  Reid’s hands grazed her skin. “I could break you…if I’m not careful.”

  She pulled him down by the grip in his hair. “But you won’t. I trust you.” Despite where his mouth had been recently, she claimed his lips. He tasted of them, of their lust and desire for one another.

  Addison couldn’t say why she trusted Reid. It could have been how he’d saved everyone in the bank that day. It could have been the way he constantly ran to her aid. In the moment, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he touched her like he wanted to. She craved it, squirming to push into the hands that hovered over her skin.

  “If you say so,” Reid growled once they broke the kiss.

  He gripped her hips and flipped her. A squeal broke from her lips. Her breasts pressed into the table, but the sensation of his cock sliding across her butt cheeks distracted her.

  “What is this?” Curiosity threaded through his low voice. He dragged his rough fingers along her back and the lines inked into her skin, drawing shudders from her. “This was not what I expected. Is that a phoenix?”

  Addison smiled into the table, pleased that she’d managed to surprise him. It was not the time nor the place to explain. She would save the story for later, pulling his attention back to her pulsing core by rubbing her hips against his cock.

  Reid reached with his fingers to find her entrance. She was already slick and pulsing when they entered her. She wanted more, arching her back in a silent demand.

  Reid delivered. Already wet with her need, he poised his cock at her entrance. Before she could beg, he slammed home inside her all at once. She cried out. Small ripples of pain emanated from her core, but they quickly turned to pleasure as Reid began to rock. He didn’t spare her. His thrusts were ferocious. The table slammed against the wall.

  All Addison could do was hold on tight as Reid brought her to climax once again. The cabin was far enough away from anyone that she didn’t try holding it in this time. She groaned and cried, the sound only making Reid pump harder and faster. Each slam made the ripples inside her pulse harder.

  Her orgasm never faded. It danced and made her fingers curl.

  Behind her, Reid grunted. She could feel his thighs tense against her body. His own orgasm was close. His hands reached around her and pulled her upright, fingers closing around her breasts. His thrusts shortened but became no softer.

  She smiled and let her head fall back. This was what she’d wanted. He didn’t treat her like she might fall apart. In the moment, she was his equal. It filled her mouth with words she didn’t dare speak.

  Finally, Reid climaxed. He slipped out of her, a hand flat on her back as he shoved her back down onto the table. His seed was warm, spilling over her back. Despite everything he’d said and done, here was his mark of ownership. Addison stretched and turned her head to catch a glimpse of him. His eyes were completely gold now. His lips were bent into a snarl that tightened her core all over again.

  It made her laugh to herself. It was some strange version of beauty and the beast that they were replaying. He was not so ugly or cruel as the beast, but more like a man caged. Tonight, she’d managed to release him. She didn’t know how long it would be until the cage claimed him again, but she savored the moments of freedom he’d shown her.

  Reid disappeared for a moment before returning to clean the seed from her skin. Throwing the towel aside, he lifted her and carried her to the couch where he laid both of them down. He said nothing, only cradling her in his arms while he could.

  Chapter Twelve

  Just as she thought, there was no wound in his leg. There was only a scar that looked decades old. She suspected that, given a few days, it would disappear altogether.

  Reid was something other than human. She found that she was strangely okay with that. If he wasn’t going to tell her the whole story, she would go ask Emmy. Addison wasn’t stupid. If Reid hid away in the mountains with the other men, there had to be a reason. She suspected whatever Reid was, the others were similar if not the same.

 
She should have been afraid. Or, at the very least, Addison should have denied everything she’d seen. It seemed like the right thing to do. Instead, she accepted the truth as it was. Reid had never tried to hurt her. If anything, she had the distinct feeling that he was trying to protect her from something.

  She wouldn’t tell him that she didn’t need his protection. It would probably hurt his feelings. Instead, she’d let him believe he’d won for now.

  Curling into his side, she pressed her face into the warmth of his body. Well, that and the couch wasn’t exactly big enough for them to cuddle properly. Reid was a big man. Her butt was partially hanging off the edge of the couch, her grip on him keeping her from tumbling off altogether.

  “Tell me about your tattoo.”

  He grinned and moved her so that she wasn’t falling off the couch. “Only if you tell me about yours first.”

  “Fair enough.” She turned her head to rest it against his chest. His heart beat steadily, thumping every time she brushed against his cock. “Once I had my own place and knew I wasn’t about to get kicked out because I couldn’t afford rent, I decided I wanted to do something for myself. A tattoo seemed like the right place to start.”

  “So, you got a whole back piece? That’s honestly a bit excessive.”

  “I won’t say it was my finest hour, but I also won’t say I regret it. Knowing that phoenix has my back, well, it’s helped me through some bad times.”

  His arms tightened around her. He seemed like he would hold onto her forever, but Addison knew that reluctance would creep back in with time. He would pull away from her again. She had to savor the moment she had until she could figure out what it was that scared him.

  “A phoenix doesn’t die. It rises from the ashes. I wanted to rise from my own ashes. My childhood sucked. My work life sucked. Thinking about the phoenix helped me make the decision to come up here. I’m glad I did, too.”

  Reid was silent for a long while. She thought he would pull away already, that the moment was over. It was all she could do to keep from gripping him and begging him to stay. She didn’t want to be that woman, the one who cried over a man, but what she felt for him was stronger than anything she’d ever felt.