Bear Apparent (BBW Shifter Romance) (Stone Claw Clan Book 1) (9 page)

“Yep. I love massage oils. You know what else this particular one is good for?” Dahlia asked, her lips pulled up in supreme pleasure.

“I’m about to find out, aren’t I?” he groaned out, every stroke making him shudder.

She moved down his legs, and when her curls brushed his hip he barked a harsh curse. Her tongue extended, and her eyes met his as she ran it up the underside of his shaft. He didn’t look away as that pink tool wiggled around his glans, tracing every wrinkle. In this moment, he realized he had underestimated her. She wasn’t some shy little kitten than needed guidance—she was a caged lioness that had been waiting for the right guy to set her free.

“Oh God, Dahlia. I’m not going to last long,” he said, commanding his dick to hold out a little longer. He wanted her to explore him further until she knew every corner of him, but the orgasm was so close that he held it back by sheer will.

She laughed, the sound like music to his ears. Her lips returned to his glans and she sucked gently while her tongue teased him. Just when he was about to explode, she backed off and licked his shaft, lapping up the oil. She repeated the process several times until he was squirming, the need to reach climax ruling him. But he never wanted this to end.

“Dahlia!” he hissed. “Jesus, woman… let me come.”

She seemed delighted by the response she invoked. She pressed a kiss to the glans one last time then began to stroke him fervently. He watched, fascinated by the sight of his cock in her hand, and the pleasure quickly overwhelmed him. He had wanted to give her a warning, but his brain had forgotten how to work his mouth. The orgasm erupted, thick ropes of semen splattering his chest. It seemed to go on forever, his body shuddering.

Slowly, the haze of pleasure cleared and he looked up at Dahlia, his cock still in her hand. Her expression was all satisfaction. The bear shook with his laughter.

Holding his arms out, he said, “I’m really a big teddy bear, you know.”

She leaned over him, and he took the opportunity to taste her lips. He longed for the time when he tasted himself on her as she did him, but for now, he accepted what she was willing to give. He growled against her lips and held her close, his palms spanning her back all the way down to her plump ass.

Running a hand through his hair, she said, “When I set off for the woods, I never imagined meeting someone like you, much less ending up in bed together.”

He offered her a lazy smile as he caressed the outer skin of her crack. “You never did tell me why you were there.”

Her expression fell, and he regretted asking. She bit her lip then said, “It’s a long story. Do you want to hear it?”

“I can listen to you talk all day. You have a very soothing voice,” Garrett praised.

She shook her head, her curls bouncing and she moved to the side. Gasping at the mess against her body, he shot out of bed. “Let me clean you first, and then you can tell me all about it.”

“You’re not going out there like that—”

The prime directive to make sure Dahlia was comfortable energized him, and the moment he stepped out of her bedroom, he regretted it. He froze in his tracks as several sets of eyes blinked at him from the living room, their lips slowly pulling up. Garrett looked down his body, his cock still glistening from the oil, and his abdomen was sticky with the evidence of his pleasure. Heat rushed to his cheeks—he didn’t want his bears to know he had broken his oath.

It was just sex,
he tried to reason with himself.
Yeah, like you believe that?

He issued a warning growl, and his clan went back to watching television, but he knew they were smug as fuck. Hell, they had probably heard Dahlia voicing her pleasure…
Washcloth. Bedroom.
He made for the bathroom, located a clean cloth, and wet it with warm water then returned to her room.

Dahlia was under the sheets, the navy silk conforming to her frame like water. He took a moment to collect himself, then joined her in bed, and yanked the sheet away. She giggled, and he wiped away the mess from her body, teasingly grazing a nipple. When he was sure they were both clean, he tossed the cloth away, then pulled her into his arms, her heat and scent soothing him. He wasn’t sure how he could survive without having her against him at all times.

Her hands were on him, her palm admiring the strong muscles of his back. After a moment of just staring at him, she started talking. “When I was five, I was kidnapped by a sick man. Mom didn’t tell me what was wrong with him until years later, but I was lucky. Before he could hurt me, I managed to escape while he was peeing on the side of the road. I must have run for miles in the forest. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I needed to get as far away from him as possible. I could just see it in his eyes, you know? Like he enjoyed being mean to me. It was the same look in that other bear’s eyes.”

Garrett’s body tightened, his animal rising to the forefront to protect her. He pinched his eyes close, and willed himself to relax. When he opened his eyes again, he met her questioning expression. “Sorry. I don’t like the idea of you being hurt.”

She sputtered a laugh. “That’s kind of the point of why I was in the Washakie woods. Anyway, the man did catch up to me. I hid under a fallen log, but he found me, and told me things I didn’t understand at the time. He said if I ever told anyone what he was about to do, he would kill my family. That I did understand.” Her voice broke, and her lashes fluttered. Garrett wanted to hunt down this man, and slowly peel the skin from his bones. “I remember his grip being so tight around my arm, I thought my bone would break. It was late, and dark and I tried fighting, but he would pull my hair so hard that my neck hurt. In my child’s mind, I knew something was seriously wrong so I did what any other kid would do… I screamed. He didn’t like that so he slapped me hard, and I lost consciousness.”

With every word, Garrett’s body tightened, the rage simmering and slowly building to explosive levels. If it weren’t for her touch to ground him, he was sure he would have shifted. But she was with him, her scent mingled with his mark surrounding him, and her fingers playing against his chest kept him level.

“When I woke up, I saw a monster. At least I thought I did. It was hard to see, but it was big and dark and had claws and fangs, and it… dragged the man into the bushes. I could hear him screaming, then it just stopped. My mother told me the man had been attacked by an animal, but I didn’t believe her. Whatever it was, it stayed with me all night. I could hear it moving around, and berries were thrown at me to eat. When it got really cold, I awoke to find an old tattered sweater next to me. It was trying to care for me… no animal could ever do that.”

Questions swirled in Garrett’s mind. His father’s clan had resided in those woods for a very long time—had a shifter killed that piece of shit, and attempted to care for her without making itself known? But he would have heard about such an occurrence… “All you saw were fangs and claws? Could it have been a bear?”

She eyed him suspiciously. “I don’t know. I only got a brief look, but it had stood upright and had the shape of a man… I guess bears can stand like that, too. Wait, are you saying it was a shifter like you?”

“It’s possible,” he said, stroking her shoulder. He hated she had been terrified as a little girl. He was glad that whatever had saved her had mangled that pervert before he could hurt her. If it had been Garrett, he would have made the man suffer. “So, you were in the woods looking for the creature that saved you all those years ago?”

Dahlia rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Not exactly… I’d been looking for it all my life, chasing reports of unexplained activity in the surrounding areas. The prevailing theory is Bigfoot, but I was there on a recent report from a lawman. His description detailed something similar to what I had seen as a kid, so I went to investigate.”

“I can verify what he saw was a bear-shifter,” he said meekly. “Lazaran had been perusing me and my clan for days. We tried to form a plan of defense, but it soon became clear we were outmatched, and evacuated the woods. While my clan got to safety, I drew his attention. Likely, what the man saw was one of us.”

“And that’s where we found each other,” she muttered. Her gaze drifted as if she were deep in thought. “You said there are shifters that could become wolves and cats. Is it possible it was something like that that had saved me?”

“Not likely. They would have been run out of our territory. Sometimes we allow passage, but we are pretty isolated in that part of the woods. I can ask Bruin, he might know. I was just a kid back then, too.”

“Well, I was found in the north western section of the Washakie forest near the Shashonee River by some hikers. The deputy’s report was the first real sighting of my savior in years. Did your family’s territory extend that far?”

“Up to the river, yes, but my father rarely patrolled so far from our homes. It’s possible a shifter had crossed onto our property, and tried to help you.”

“Okay.” She lay her head on Garrett’s chest, and traced the muscles of his abdomen with her fingers. “In any case, I’m glad I found you.”

Garrett ran his fingers through her silken curls, and kissed the top of her head. “So am I.”

Chapter Ten

Dahlia awoke slowly, the sound of birds chirping away lulling her back into the realm of consciousness. The window had been opened, the scent of grass along with buttery ribbons of sunlight floating in on a warm breeze. She stretched, her body well satisfied. It felt as if she’d just had a deep tissue massage, every muscle lose and relaxed. As the memories of what she had done with Garrett last night rushed at her, a smile creased her face.

Did that really happen? Or was it all some really nice dream?
She rolled over to convince herself Garrett was real and he had spent the night with her, except he wasn’t there. Frowning, she ran her palm across the mussed sheets. The scent of forest and man permeated the air. She pulled it deep into her lungs. Leaning over the edge of the bed, she spotted the discarded washcloth.

She giggled to herself, and collapsed in bed, not wanting to get out. But she was curious as to where he had gone. After a long moment, she forced herself onto her feet and threw on an old pair of shorts and a tee shirt. She gathered some fresh clothes and exited her room then headed toward the bathroom. Closing herself in, she ran the shower then stepped in, the heat of the water soothing. She took her time, the sensation of trickling water, and the memory of what Garrett had done to her, stealing her away.

Had she expected it? Nope. Did she want it to happen again? Hell yes. And she felt relieved telling him about her experience as a child. She’d told Jessica about it and some of her monster-hunting buddies, but they always seemed to subtly discount her story. Garrett hadn’t. Hell, he’d gone beyond that just by being who he was.

Killing the water, she stepped out, and dried herself thoroughly. The sensation of the fabric sliding over her body got her going—Garrett had made her feel sexy and desired for the first time in her life, his praises going right to her heart. She wanted to explore this new found confidence with him some more.

Don’t get ahead of yourself, girl.

She took her time grooming, cursing her stubborn hair then slipped into a pair of jeans and a perfect-fitting tank top. Smoothing it down her stomach, she glanced at herself in the mirror.
Not too bad.
Garrett had said he liked his women on the larger side, but…
Nope. Not going there.
Her ex was no longer welcomed in her thoughts. Besides, Garrett’s reaction to her in bed kind of put the nail in that debate coffin—didn’t it?

Deciding to focus on the positives, Dahlia opened the bathroom door, then froze. Frowning, she closed it, then reopened it… the last she remembered, the door and jamb had been broken. Garrett must have gotten up early, and fixed it. The scent of something cooking drew her attention, and she followed the sound of sizzling sausage to find Marcus and Jake in the kitchen. Marcus was wearing her cupcake cooking apron, and Dahlia covered her mouth in amusement. She watched as the boys ruled the kitchen, the counter piled high with pancakes, bacon, sausage and more salmon filets. Marcus tipped his head back, and squeezed a bottle of honey into his mouth then kissed Jake.

The man chuckled, and pushed him away. “Cut it out.”

“Oh, I see. Wrong body part,” he said, undoing his belt. “Let me fix that for you.”

Heat flooded Dahlia’s cheeks, but considering Garrett didn’t see anything wrong with walking around naked, she figured shape-shifters didn’t have a whole lot of shame. Before things really got heated, she cleared her throat, drawing their attention.

“You’re awake!” Marcus beamed, and offered her a plate piled high with all the necessities. “Garrett said we have to wait for you to get up before anyone could eat. Not to be rude, but we are really hungry, so please… won’t you sample our hard work?”

“Ignore him,” Jake said, pushing his boyfriend away. “Our matriarch may eat when she wishes.”

Frowning, Dahlia opened her mouth to inquire what he meant, but the sound of splashing water caught her attention, and she raced over to the window to find the polar bear twins rough-housing in the pool. Someone had dug out the canopy from the shed and erected it over the pool.

She gaped. “Are they in my pool?”

Dahlia blinked blankly, and that was when she realized her house had had a face-lift. Besides the food on the counter, the appliances sparkled, and the sink was completely void of dishes, and that stack of newspapers she had meant to organize was gone… and the walls were bright white again… She narrowed her eyes at the bears who shrugged innocently.

The sound of a commanding voice caught her attention, and she marched out the back door, barefoot. Garrett was standing by the wooden fence that enclosed her back yard, Bruin next to him, his head bobbing as Garrett talked. Garrett noticed her and dropped everything to come greet her, a big smile on his freshly shaved puss.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Securing your territory. Bruin and I have located several weak areas, but don’t worry we will deal with them. We’ve laid heavy bug spray around your house and the surrounding block, but ran out. I’ll send one of my bears to the store to purchase massive quantities of rubbing alcohol as well as—”

Dahlia simply gaped at him as he rattled off a list that sounded like he were intent on completely renovating her house. She shook her head, at a loss for words.

“We organized your shed, and Bruin has told me we can run an extension cord out there to power several freezers.”

Her mind reeled between his bizarre enthusiasm for extreme makeover, Home edition, and the twins splashing like little kids in the pool. One night of hot sex, and he was taking over her life? A dull ache started in her temples, and she cut his rambling off. “Why are they in my pool?”

Garrett blinked at her, then glanced at the twins. “They’re polar bears. And because of their albinism, they are prone to baking under the sun, so they set up the canopy for shade.” He dragged his eyes back to her, looking sheepish. “Are you angry? You have a strange tone in your voice. All the grime and mold needed to be cleaned, and they wanted to swim, so—”

“Can I talk to you in private?” Dahlia asked, getting a grip on the tight black tee he was wearing and pulled.

“Okay,” he mumbled like an admonished little boy as he followed.

She led him behind a giant bush that needed serious trimming. When she was sure they were out of ear shot, she hissed, “What did you do with my newspapers?”

“They were unloaded into the trash—”

She made a very bear like sound of frustration.

Garrett fidgeted. “I assumed they were garbage, considering they were years old.”

“I was digging for accounts of strange sightings… never mind.” Pinching the bridge of her nose, she did her best to calm down. “Why do I need several freezers?”

“Bears eat a lot.”

She bonked herself in the forehead.

“You are displeased,” he murmured, looking absolutely crushed.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she said, “Garrett, I want you and your family to be safe. But this… this is too much.”

Dahlia’s heart hurt at the sight of this big, strong man looking like a punished child begging for forgiveness. His expression was devastating, and she sighed, touching him gently on his arm. “Do you want to explain to me why you thought it was appropriate to reorder my life?”

He scratched the back of his neck, and she tried not to think about how adorable he looked flushed. “I needed to make sure our scent didn’t spread too far, hence the chemicals. I won’t tolerate you being in danger. To be absolutely sure, I placed traps around the perimeter—”

“Traps?” Dahlia was beyond befuddled.

“Non-lethal. I don’t want any random humans harmed, but it’s just a precaution. I can’t be too careful concerning your safety.” He looked away, his eyes shining in the sunlight. “I just don’t want you hurt because of me. I know it would be best for you if we left, but…”

Biting her lip, she arched a brow at him. “But?”

His shy smile was lovely, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “I find I have a hard time not being near you.”

The confession went right to her pussy, and she wanted to drag him back to her bedroom and make him work for her forgiveness. He seemed to have noticed, his attention snapping to her and his nostrils flared as if he could scent her arousal. Just like that, his body shifted, and his expression melted into male confidence. He took a step forward, but she put a hand on his chest to stop him.

“You still have a lot of explaining to do,” Dahlia reminded him before she lost her nerve.

“What do you need to know?” he rumbled, his eyes darting all over her face. “You may ask me anything, and I will do my best to give you the answers you want.”

“I understand the need to secure my house. But do you think your clan can just move in without consulting me?” She did her best to remain authoritative, but the feeling of his hard body against her palm, and the sound of his deep voice was seriously weakening her shields.

He offered her a meek smile. “You are right. I was unable to think past the desire to thank you for your kindness. But… we were created to protect and serve our mothers. The need to care for females in all ways runs deep. I guess it overrode any other thought or consideration. For that, I apologize.”

Eying him suspiciously, she figured it made sense. He seemed to have taken a great deal of care to make sure she was safe, and the pride that crossed his face as he detailed his efforts cemented his explanation. “Okay. But you will not doing anything to my property unless I approve it. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I don’t want all that food to waste and I’m hungry, so take a load off, and have breakfast with me.”

His smile was blinding and Dahlia led the way, his immense presence wrapping around her. As soon as they came out from behind the big bush, Garrett’s entire clan quickly scattered, but it was obvious they had been eavesdropping. Dahlia tossed Garrett a frustrated look.

The man seemed equally as displeased. “Would you like for me to send them away while we enjoy our meal?”

His words were strange to her, and she took a moment to string a sentence in her mind. “That seems kind of… mean.”

“I am clan-leader, and if my orders are not followed, then they do not respect me as patriarch. Besides, if their actions displease you, they should be punished.”

Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t understand your thinking.”

“I know, and I apologize. It is just our way. Tell me what you wish to do, and it will be done.”

She tossed him a sly eye. “And if I wanted you out of my hair for a few minutes?”

His expression dropped harder than a led ball, and she pulled him into her arms. “I’m sorry. That was meant to be a joke.”

Running his nose along her neck, he rumbled, “Sending me away from your side would be the worst torture imaginable.”

How could a girl not be charmed by that? She smiled to herself, and backed away, tipping her head in a silent command to follow. Garrett obeyed, his big body moving deliciously as he tracked her into the house.

At least, she’d have a clean house again.

****

“My compliments to the chefs,” Dahlia said as she savored a pancake.

Marcus and Jake glowed, their smiles threatening to break their faces. Garrett wished he had slaved over the stove for her—he didn’t want to begrudge them their happiness, but his instinct demanded her praise be only for him. The entire clan seemed enthralled with her, which was a good sign. Feeding time had never been so… quiet before—at least not after his mother had died. Usually, they all took pot shots at each other, and fought over the most succulent cut of fish. Dahlia’s presence seemed to invoke a sense of manners.

Garrett watched the way her lips crinkled as they slid over the fork as she took another bite of the pancake. Jesus, he could come just from watching her eat—and if he had made the meal? He was sure he’d explode.

She must have realized everyone was watching her because she blinked. “Uh… you’re all making me self-conscious. Dig in.”

In unison, everyone’s attention turned toward Garrett, and he nodded. Cheers broke out and the sound of forks hitting porcelain filled the kitchen. Dahlia smiled, her attention on the bears as they ate, and talked.

Bruin took a seat next to Garrett. “So, I had our funds transferred to another account, just to be safe. Don’t think Lazaran has any techies in his clan, but you never know.”

“Good idea,” Garrett praised his beta, his attention on Dahlia as she smiled at something Marcus did. He didn’t think he could ever get tired of looking at her, the simplest of her motions captivating him.

“I’ve put out some feelers for information. I’m sure Lazaran found the clubhouse by now, and it’s likely been destroyed. Wished we could have gotten to the safe, but if we’re lucky, he didn’t find it. The brewery might survive unscathed since we dumped the alcohol everywhere.”

Nodding at whatever the male had said, Garrett’s lips twitched up as she threw her head back, and laughed at a joke the polar twins cracked. He was so happy everyone was getting along, and it cemented his resolve to pursue a relationship with Dahlia. Not all human females could so easily accept his world and that she had, was a huge obstacle overcome. With all the fluffy feelings came a sense of trepidation, a fear of the unknown. He could toss his vow of non-commitment aside easily enough, but did she want what he did?