Bearly Cooking (Pacific Northwest Werebears #1) (6 page)

Sophie woke to the sounds of birds chirping. The room was still dark, but her head was just at a dull throb. Even her chest felt better, still sore and bruised but she was breathing normally now.

She remembered Cage coming into the room a couple of times last night; he’d leave the hall light on, come in and check on her. Once he was satisfied, he’d adjust her covers, kiss her forehead and then go back to his room.

Sophie never said anything to him, she just let him take care of her. She didn’t want to admit it was adorable and sweet, his concern for her. She wasn’t used to dropping her shields for anyone. But they melted away every time Cage came near. The effort it took to put them back up when he left was waning also.

Swinging her legs over the bed, she gave a careful stretch, testing the stiffness in her back and chest. A warm shower would do her wonders. She grabbed some clothes from the bag at the foot of the bed Cage must have left at some point, and headed to the bathroom.

She turned on the water as hot as it would go and stepped in. The heat from the water soothed her muscles and she found a bottle of shampoo and lathered up her hair. Rinsing away the left over dirt and blood made her feel practically human. She finished up her shower and stepped out. Toweling off, she located a brush and worked the tangles out of her hair and worked a quick braid that ended over one shoulder. His mom was kind enough to grab her toothbrush also and she made quick work of getting rid of her morning breath.

Pulling on a fresh pair of leggings and a T-shirt, she took a deep breath and opened the door. She didn’t even know if Cage was home, although she doubted he was going to stray far. He didn’t seem the sort to abandon her now. Now that her head wasn’t so dizzy with medication she was fighting the urge to be utterly embarrassed by what had transpired in the last 36 hours.

Embarrassing injury, check.

Snogging the boss, check.

Shacked up with boss (although temporarily), check.

Throw in the fact that he kept picking her up, which no bigger girl ever liked a man to attempt. And she was amazed she didn’t burst into immediate flames from the horror of it all.

Walking out into the great room, Sophie scanned to see Cage in the attached kitchen looking down at some papers strewn over the counter. The moment she stepped into the room, Cage sniffed and looked up giving her a huge smile.

“Good morning, honey, how are you feeling,” he asked walking towards her.

Sophie was so enjoying the show of him just walking or stalking as the case may be towards her, she was completely unprepared to be enveloped in a huge but gentle hug. His strong arms engulfed her and her arms wrapped around his waist on their accord. She laid her head against his chest and could hear the beating of his heart. It was lovely.

“I’m ok, head is better,” she whispered into his chest.

“That’s good news, darlin’, why don’t you have a seat on the couch and I’ll make you a cup of tea. I’m assuming being British you wouldn’t say no to tea,” he said giving her a gentle squeeze and guiding her to the couch.

“No, I’ve never been known to turn down tea. You wouldn’t happen to have milk and honey on hand would you?” she asked, curling her feet up onto the couch.

Cage took a throw from the back of the couch and tucked it around her. She wasn’t cold, but the throw was fuzzy and warm.

“I always have honey, honey,” he teased kissing the tip of her nose.

Walking back into the kitchen he set the kettle to boil and straightened the papers he was looking at. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Not really, a little queasy actually,” she admitted.

“No worries, we can try food later. I’ll have to run into the camp later, my mom will come over and sit with you. She doesn’t get a lot of female company out here, but I warned her you are recovering and not to talk your ear off.”

“It will be nice to actually meet her,” Sophie offered.

The kettle started to whistle and Cage put her tea together. Bringing it over to the table by the couch he took a seat on the coffee table and put his hands over her bent knees.

“I’m really sorry you got hurt, Sophie. I want you to know that I’m trying to figure out what happened.”

“I’m sure it was just an accident Cage. I can’t imagine logging is an overly safe profession.”

“We work very hard to make it as safe as we can. Yesterday was not an accident. We’ve been having trouble with sabotage for a while now. Usually small things that no one would get hurt by. Yesterday was different and my brothers and I need to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he finished.

“Sabotage? Why?” Sophie asked concern and disbelief coloring her voice.

Sighing Cage ran his hand through is already messy hair. “There are groups that don’t like us cutting down trees. They like using the products that come from those trees, but can’t make the connection of how it benefits them. They think we are harming the environment and hurting the animals. When we spend most of our time working on way to limit our impact on the area we are harvesting. I don’t blame them for wanting to protect the forests, I really don’t. But I also can’t have them jeopardizing the safety and well-being of my workers.”

“That makes sense, so you don’t know who’s been doing these things?”

“No, Conner and Wyatt have been tracking down some of the groups that send us the most hate mail. Even a few that have camped out in our trees before to keep us from cutting. None of them are claiming responsibility. We’ll figure it out eventually,” he promised.

Nodding her head Sophie reached for her tea and blew on it before taking a sip. She moaned as the sweet drink coated her tongue. Opening her eyes she saw Cage watching her with hungry eyes.

She put her tea down on the table as she watched Cage slide from the table to his knees in front of her. Reaching his hand up he cupped her neck and pulled her towards his mouth. He kissed her softly, then more urgently like he couldn’t get enough of her. Sophie kissed him back, wanting the heat of his body closer.

A knock sounded at the door then it swung open revealing Cage’s mom strolling in. She took in the couple on the couch obviously in the middle of a passionate kiss and kept walking into the kitchen.

“Don’t mind me dears, I’m just bringing over breakfast. Cage, your brother called said you were needed at the camp. And he said now, not later,” she said bustling around unloading the bags she’d brought.

Sophie had frozen the moment she barged through the door. Cage had stopped kissing her but left his forehead against hers as his mom chattered away.

His mother was still talking when Cage whispered, “I have to go, honey. You’ll be okay here with my mom. I’ll remind her not to talk your ear off or ask too many personal questions,” he said with an affectionate laugh. He clearly thought his mother was adorable.

Sophie smiled at him and nodded. He gave her another quick kiss, “Honeysuckle.” Then got up and walked over to his mom and gave her a big hug picking her up off the ground. A squeal of “Put me down you big oaf” was heard as Sophie sipped more of her tea.

She could see Cage lean down and whisper into his mother’s ear. His mom nodded to him before finally swatting him on the arm. “Go, I’m not going to scare her away. We are going to have a nice quiet day. She’s going to rest and I’m going to knit, so stop worrying. Go, your brothers are waiting,” she finished giving him a kiss on the cheek and a swat on the butt.

Cage smiled at her then walked behind the couch, dropping a kiss on the top of Sophie’s head and headed out the door to his truck.

Sophie did have a quiet day with Cage’s mom. Connie managed to get Sophie to eat some buttered toast and then gave her more pain pills that had her napping on the couch. She heard the phone ring twice and assumed it was Cage checking in, which his mom confirmed after she woke up.

Connie did grill her a bit about her life when she was feeling better that afternoon. There wasn’t much to tell, but she shared anyway. Connie had declared she should call her mom, since her mother didn’t sound like she was very motherly. Sophie had to agree on that point. She wasn’t sure how she felt about calling her boss’s mom, ‘mom’, but then again she’d already made out with her boss two, or was it three times?

His mother also kept remarking on how cute her accent was. Sophie found it sweet and didn’t take offense. Connie also remarked on how polite and refined her manners were and wondered whether it would rub off on any of her boys.

Chatting with his mom wore her out and she excused herself to her room for another nap. The light had faded from the window when she woke and she felt a hard warm presence at her back. A heavy arm was draped around her middle and hot breath tickled her neck.

She attempted to lift herself and turn to assure herself that it was indeed Cage behind her when the arm around her waist tightened and a sleepy voice said, “Shh…it’s just me, honey. You looked too cute and cozy for me not to sneak a nap in with you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, its okay, you feel good,” she admitted, which earned her another squeeze.

“How’s your head?” he asked, placing a soft kiss on the back of her neck.

Goosebumps tickled over her skin as she tried to focus her words and not succumb to the delicious torment at her neck.

“Better, still tender though. I can’t seem to get enough sleep either,” she whispered as he continued his assault on her.

“Hmm…good. You like having your neck kissed, don’t you honey? You taste so good, and the minute I kiss you, I know you get wet for me,” he growled.

She couldn’t deny it, those kisses totally made her wet. She was a horny, injured chef with no control over her libido.

“I like neck kisses,” she admitted. She figured why not give a man a road map. It was his choice if he followed it or not.

“I’ll remember that. Anywhere else you like to be kissed?” he teased.

This question had her nipples tightening under her shirt. She’d taken her bra off to sleep and now her T-shirt was rubbing against them adding more stimulation.

Almost sensing the change, Cage’s hand slid under the hem of her shirt and traveled over her soft round stomach to cup one of her heavy breasts. His hands felt large as they circled and squeezed her mounds. His thumb flicked over her nipple as he continued kissing her neck. Giving her tight nipple a pinch, at the same time he ran his tongue up the length of her neck.

Sophie let out a loud moan and arched her bottom into the hard bulge in his pants that was pushing against her.

“Oh, baby, there is so much I want to do with you. I think you need to be a little more healed up before that.” He groaned into her neck, although he didn’t stop tormenting her breast. In fact he switched to the other one and was rolling the nipple causing her to whimper.

“Then you better stop before you make me very cranky, Mr. Rochon,” she said quietly but urgently.

She was so hot and bothered that she was willing to look past the aching in her chest and the pounding in her head to get a little playtime with Cage.

“You’re right, but just so you know, this,” he thrust his hips against her ass, “Is all your fault and isn’t going away anytime soon,” he declared.

This made Sophie giggle which got her a tap on her ass from the hand that had just been fondling her breast.

Another giggle and Sophie felt Cage peel out of the bed. He reached for her hand and helped her up. Walking her back out to the couch he tucked her back in and went to the kitchen to make dinner.

“I can cook, Cage. I feel bad lounging around not doing anything,” she said making a move to get up.

“Sit,” he barked. “You are recovering and you are not cooking until I think you are healed. Besides I may not be a chef but I know how to make spaghetti without burning it,” he said proudly.

During dinner they talked about Cage, his family and his education. He had a degree in environmental studies and had always planned on working the family business. He talked about his brothers and his parents. How much he loved hiking and fishing, his love for the land was clear.

He asked Sophie about her life and she was a little more forthcoming that she had been with his mother. She told him that outside of cooking she didn’t have any long-term life goals. It may sound like she was unfocused, but she always knew that life was going to lead her in the direction she was intended to go, whatever that might be. They talked until Sophie’s eyes started to droop and the furrows on her forehead showed the headache that was building. Giving her some medicine and tucking her into bed, Cage told her good night with a kiss on her head.

“You aren’t staying?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“I’d love to, darlin’ but you need to heal and I need to sleep. Lying that close to your delectable body without being able to touch you would ensure I not get any sleep tonight. I’ll see you in the morning, promise.”

Sophie fell asleep thinking how nice it would be to have been able to cuddle up to that big warm man while she slept. That night she dreamt about bears again.

A week passed with Sophie and Cage spending most of their free time together. After a few days, Sophie moved back to the mess hall much to Cage’s dismay. No matter how much stomping and growling he threw at her, Sophie knew she needed to get back to work. It didn’t take long for her to realize that Cage was worried about her.

She had gotten regular checkins from both Wyatt and Conner who she was finally able to meet. It seemed when Cage got busy he sent his younger brothers to do the “Sophie check”. She didn’t really mind, she found it sweet most of the time. A few times she found it down right hot. Twice Cage came in to check on her in the kitchen and dragged her back to her room. He pinned her against the wall and ravaged her mouth in hot wet drugging kisses that left them both panting.

Cage would rub his face up and down her neck while grinding his hips and hard cock into her stomach. She wanted to rip his clothes off and ride him like an Old West cowgirl on her tiny single bed. Inevitably Cage would break off the kiss, growling that she wasn’t better yet and leave her panting and damp in her room.

She was feeling much better, but Cage had some kind of radar when it came to her. He could see when she was tired or her head started to hurt. He got annoyed when he saw her lifting something too heavy and caught her wincing at the pull on her chest

He took her off of meal service and told her she was only allowed to cook. He had a couple of guys come in before meals to lift the heavy trays and put them out for her. She appreciated the thoughtfulness, but didn’t like being labeled an invalid either.

After a week of this, she was fed up. She was feeling much better and she was so horny she could scream. She had a plan, and tonight she was acting on it. She boxed up two servings of dinner and dessert and headed over to the office.

Without knocking she walked in and found Cage at his desk mumbling to himself.

He looked up at her and smiled when he saw her.

“Hey, darlin’, what are you doing here? Dinner over?”

“No, the guys said they’d tidy up after dinner. I brought over a picnic. You and I are going to head to your house eat this fine meal, then we are going to bed. The same bed, this time,” she said, taking a deep breath. She was trying to be all casual and sexy but her bravado didn’t come across that clear. She knew she sounded a little more panicked and desperate. But she’d already thrown the gauntlet down, she just hoped Cage picked it up.

“Is that so?” he said giving her a sexy grin. See, how did he manage to pull that off so easily she wondered.

“Yes, that’s so. Cage Rochon, you have been teasing me all week and I can’t take it anymore. Seriously, I’m feeling a little crazy. My dreams are getting weirder and all I can think about is you naked,” she blurted out. Shoot, that was not what she had planned to say. Nice job Sophie, she thought.

Cage sat at his desk, just staring at her. She felt her face turn red, she wanted to escape. Invent a time machine and go back and not tell Cage that she dreamed about him naked. Clearly that was not her most logical choice.

Standing up and coming around the edge of the desk, Sophie watched Cage stalk towards her. When he reached her his hands cupped her face and he gave her a long wet kiss. His hands slid down to her shoulders and around to her back, ending on her ass. He gave her a hard pull and she felt the hardness in his pants.

“I think about you naked all the time too Sophie Carlton, so we’re even,” he admitted kissing her again.

Thank goodness for that, Sophie thought. Tipping her head back to look at him, she saw that yellow tinge around his eyes again that he got whenever they were getting hot and heavy. She liked it.

“Are you sure you’re feeling better? We can wait, darlin’, we don’t have to rush anything. Neither of us is going anywhere. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you, but I also don’t want to rush you.”

Laughing Sophie said, “I’m sure you didn’t lack for female company Cage.”

Giving her a sad little smirk, he admitted, “You’d be surprised, honey, I’ve been alone for years. And I mean that, years. No dating, no girlfriends, no one.”

“But why?” she asked, her brain struggling to figure out if she had missed some kind of blaring red flags on why this catch of a man was still single.

“It’s hard to explain, and I will explain it, just not now. I’ve been waiting for
you
Sophie, the one I’m meant to be with. I know that sounds crazy and too soon. But I know what I want, what I need and that’s you.”

Sophie was a bit addled at this declaration. They’d known each other a week and this man sounded like he was truly, what? In lust? In love? She wasn’t sure about her own feelings, all she knew is if she didn’t get into his pants soon, someone was going to pay.

“This is so fast, Cage. I say that and I think we shouldn’t be this involved already. But I can’t stop how I feel about you,” she said looking up at him with confusion.

“Trust me, honey, trust me that this is totally normal and it’s right for both of us. What we have doesn’t happen every day. It’s a miracle, whether you believe in those or not. I’ve waited years and years for this. If I need to I’ll wait a little longer to be with you.”

“I do trust you, Cage. And I do want to be with you. I’m feeling one hundred percent better and I need you tonight. Need you like oxygen or really nice knives,” she said a little embarrassed. Realizing her needs in life might differ from normal people.

Sighing and pulling her tighter into his arms, Cage stroked her back and cupped her head to his chest.

“What do you say we go home?” he offered.

She liked that, home. She’d never thought of her parent’s house as a home. Too old and stodgy and you never were allowed to touch anything. Cage’s cabin felt like it should have a family in it. She could see a giant Christmas tree in the front window shining out onto the forest. Kids laughing and playing with new toys, indulgent parents sipping tea and enjoying the chaos.

She wondered if a life like that was possible for her?

“Yes, Cage, take me home.”