Called by the Bear 1-3 (8 page)

C
arly

I
'm acting
like a love-struck teenager when Brady suggests we sit in the living room to wait for Keith. I kick off my shoes, curl my legs up under me, and lean into him. His arm slips easily around my shoulders, and I wish we were alone. I'm dying to kiss this man.

Annie is telling us a story about Brady collecting frogs to create his own pond in the bathtub when Keith arrives. Knocking and then walking in, he enters with a presence similar to Brady’s. The man is just as huge. They grow them big in this family, and I estimate he's almost seven feet tall too.

Watching the way he and Sierra stare at each other I flush, knowing I acted the same way and still am. God, we're pathetic, but it makes me smile. Keith has brown hair that swoops down over dark eyes. When Annie hands him a glass of champagne, he sits on the couch and pats the leather seat next to him for Sierra. Giggling, she cuddles in, and I almost snort at the girl who wanted nothing to do with this less than an hour ago.

Annie tells us dinner will be ready soon and leaves us to go putter in the kitchen. Keith asks, "Brady, have you explained our situation to them yet?"

Brady's voice vibrates against me. "I did. Sierra here isn't so sure she wants to be bred though." He's grinning, and Sierra rolls her eyes.

She says, "Well, I'm still not happy with the idea, but I'm warming up to it." She looks up into Keith's face. "This mate stuff rocks."

Brady says, "It can, but it can also be a curse."

Sierra turns her attention to Brady and me. "How so?"

Brady looks over at Annie, who is whipping potatoes. He speaks quietly. "When you lose your mate, you feel like you've died too. You have a special connection and can feel their pain, and over time you become each other."

I say, "That sounds like quite a commitment. Do people regret it?"

Brady shakes his head. "No, I don't think they ever do. The need to be together is so great that being apart hurts more than any of the drawbacks of being that close to someone."

Keith adds, "It’s not something to take lightly, though. You need to be absolutely sure before taking the next step. Once mated for life, if one commits suicide, the other dies too.”

Sierra says, “Holy shit. That is serious.”

“But that doesn't mean mates don't fight. My parents seem to thrive on it," Keith says.

I say, "That's good, because Sierra's a feisty one."

Keith's eyes light up, but he flushes. He's saved from further embarrassment when Annie calls us to dinner.

After the men seat the three of us, I survey the food on the table. Roast chicken is sliced and steaming on a platter. Mashed potatoes, green beans, and acorn squash are set out too. The squash captures my interest. It’s halved, and the pieces are hollowed out a bit. They’re filled with a brown liquid I guess is maple syrup.

Bowls are passed around as we fill up our plates. Savory smells surround me and make me salivate, but the sweet squash is what I want to try first. The forkful I put in my mouth makes me groan in appreciation. "Annie, this is amazing. I see what you mean about maple syrup being good on more than pancakes."

Sierra spears a green bean. "So what happens now? You have jobs for us, right?"

Brady answers, "There are a variety of jobs open to you. What are your interests?" He fills his wine glass with a Sauvignon Blanc and tilts his head toward me to ask if I want some too. I nod, and pale yellow liquid gurgles into the wine glass next to my empty champagne flute as Brady pours.

On Brady's left, Sierra grabs the bottle to pour some for herself. "I'm good with people and running customer service for a business. Do you need help with something like that?" She pours for Keith without asking, and he smiles.

Keith says, "How about I take you to the lumber office, and you can see our wholesale business. I'm sure we could use help dealing with the orders and retailers."

Brady is sitting at the head of the table, and I'm at his right. His leg presses against mine. "What about you, Carly? I'd hate to see you give up your art. You're quite good at it."

I'm flattered he knows what I do, and I wonder what he's seen. "You've seen my work?"

He smiles. "The power of Google. You're rather famous." His lips twitch, and I realize he's talking about dick pics. I close my eyes as my face heats up.

"Ah, yeah. About that. There are some things I would rather not do any longer. But yes, I don't want to stop tattooing."

His hand is under the table, and it slides up my thigh as he says, "Good. We'll figure something out." The way my nerves are jumping at his touch, I don't care right now if I end up branding cows. But I'm glad he thinks I should still do what I love.

Completely comfortable to eat my fill, I don't stop until I'm almost too full. Even so, it manages to be about half of what Brady eats, and I'm reminded of Annie telling me he likes girls who enjoy food.

When we've finished, Annie brings us another bottle of wine. Sierra and I can't help ourselves and clear the plates to the kitchen before she tells us to just sit and talk.

Keith explains how the wholesale lumber business works while Sierra hangs on his every word. He runs that portion, and I have no doubt Sierra will be happy working with him. His quiet way will allow her to be the center of attention when they're in public, and I suspect he knows how to stroke her ego too. They're a good match, and I don't think she's going anywhere.

We learn that Annie runs the retail operations and that they own a series of gift shops throughout the state that sell Maine-made products. I turn to Brady. "What do you do?"

Keith answers, "He's the CEO."

Brady speaks, "Before that I bounced around all our businesses to make sure I knew every aspect to prepare for where I am now."

Annie chimes in, "So, Carly, you won't have to work ever again if you don't want to. If I were you I'd be thrilled to just stay home and raise a family."

And there we go again. My body reacts at the thought of how to make that family while my head is freaking the heck out over how fast this is moving. But I think Annie is expressing her dream that can't come true, so I say, "That does sound lovely. I guess we'll have to see."

Brady leans close to whisper in my ear. "I like the idea of you staying home to raise our children, but it's up to you."

My eyes fall to my tribal paw print. I always said the first tattoo was a life-changing event that shouldn't be done on a whim and should mean something so special living without it was hard. I thought giving myself this tattoo broke both my rules, but I'm beginning to think maybe it didn't.

Sierra and Keith are talking, but neither Brady nor I are listening. His hand is on mine, and he's stroking my skin with a finger. When I look into his eyes, I'm lost in the depth of them.
My mate.
Will this be the father of my children and the man who makes me happy for the rest of my life? He seems so sure, and I hope some day I will be too.

C
arly

B
rady stands
. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

As we walk by the table, I notice Sierra and Keith are deep in conversation and don't even look our way. Annie gives us a smile from the kitchen, and I wonder when it was she started cleaning. A flicker of guilt crosses my mind because I should be helping her, but it passes quickly when I return my thoughts to the physical presence of Brady.

He takes me to the stairs, and our feet beat together as we climb up them. We continue on to another flight that leads to a cupola-like structure on top of the house. There are windows in every wall and on the ceiling.

The view is stunning, and I gasp when I see the stars. The sky is so black that they look like tiny diamonds on velvet. "I love this room." The air is chilly, and I wrap my sweater tighter around my body, but the strong arms that pull me back against a rock-wall chest practically sear me.

Brady nuzzles my hair. "It's one of my favorite places, too."

I turn in his arms and press my breasts against his chest. A shaky breath escapes my mouth when I look up into his eyes.

"Can I kiss you, Carly?" He leans down, and his mouth is inches away from mine.

I answer by reaching up to meet him. The strong cords of his neck are under my hand, and the muscles flexing mimic the quivering of my core. He nibbles gently, but I want more and dart my tongue into his mouth as an invitation. He takes it, and our kiss becomes a frenzied connection as I lean in and try to fill every crevice of his body with mine.

Large hands cup my butt as he easily lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist. I don't think I've ever been with a man big enough to do this. There is no doubt about his desire as his erection presses against my panty-clad sex. Our mouths break apart, and he kisses his way down my neck. Throwing my head back, I moan. "Oh, God, does this feel good."

Brady walks us over to an overstuffed sofa and lowers me onto it. Bracing himself over me with his arms, he rotates his groin slowly against me, and I squeeze my legs around him as if I can draw him inside me. A low growl comes from him before his mouth takes mine in a mind-numbing kiss.

I'm drowning in my desire, and when his finger flirts with the edge of my halter, I arch, letting him know I want to be touched. He responds by releasing my breast from my bra, and his fingers curl around to cup it. With a squeeze, he lowers his mouth to my tender nipple and sucks.

I'm grinding against his groin, and a mewl escapes my lips. He pulls away and says, "Damn, I knew this would be good, but I didn't know how good." His stomach twitches as he flexes his hips forward. "I want you in my bed, but once you get there I'll never let you leave."

He rises up off me and combs through his hair with a hand. I ache with need, and I crave him filling me. He says, "I'm sorry, I was only going to kiss you."

I sit up and rearrange my bra. "Don't be. I wanted everything you gave me." His eyelids are heavy, and it takes all my willpower to keep from stripping off his clothes. I grip the hem of my dress and pull it down. I add, "And so much more."

He grabs my hands and yanks me up. "Tell me you feel it. That you can't imagine being without me. Tell me I'm not the only one that thinks you're what I was searching for without ever knowing."

I clutch his shirt with my fingers and lean into him. "I do. It's taking everything I've got to not rip this off of you." My body trembles in his embrace. The scent of him is intoxicating It’s almost too much. "Brady, it's overwhelming. My reaction to you isn't normal. It's as if I want to devour every inch of you, and I'm afraid if I start I'll never stop."

"Yes, that's how it is for me too. But not tonight." He grabs my hips with hands that make me feel tiny and pushes gently away. "You need to be sure. I meant it when I said once I have you, you're mine forever. It's all or nothing with me."

I nod because I'm afraid to tell him the same thing. Every pore of my being knows he's the only man that will ever satisfy me. I let out a shaky "Okay."

He takes my hand. "We should get back downstairs with the others."

"Wait. I want to look at the stars one more time." I turn away and close my eyes as I lift my face to the sky. All the nagging fears of coming here are gone, and I know this was meant to be. I pray to the powers that be.
Thank you for giving me Brady. Please let love consume me the way my desire has.

As we approach the bottom of the steps, Sierra scrambles up off the couch with a squeak and straightens her clothing. Apparently we weren't the only ones who couldn't keep their hands off each other. Keith says, "Annie went to her room. It's late, and I should probably take the ladies home now."

Brady says, "Yeah." His hand is at the small of my back when he asks, "Carly, would you like to see what I do tomorrow?"

"Yes, I would love that."

We walk toward the garage, and he pulls me back when Sierra and Keith step through the door. He closes it behind them and pushes me up against it to ravage me with a kiss so intense my knees are weak.

His voice is husky. "You have no idea how hard it is to let you leave this house. You belong here, with me. Forever."

Oh, God.
Tears prick my eyes from the intensity of my feelings. I don't want to leave either. I reach up and put a hand on his face. His skin seems warmer than it should, and I know my fingers will miss it the moment I pull them away. "What time should I come and where?"

"I'll pick you up at eight. Wear jeans and boots if you have them."

I step up on my tiptoes and kiss him quickly. "I can't wait."

When Sierra and I finally make it to our rooms, she pulls me into hers. As soon as the door closes, she squeals, and I join in. "Oh my God, Carly!" She twirls me around as if we're dancing. "This is so much better than I could have imagined. I swear to you, this time next year we'll both be married."

I chuckle and say, "And maybe pregnant too. Are you okay with that little piece?"

"I think I am." She rolls her eyes. "Can you believe I just said that?"

"Not really, considering the Sierra I know, but you're a nurturing soul, and if you want children, you'll make a great mom."

She grins. "Thanks. Now get out of here. Keith is picking me up at seven, and I'm going to learn all about the lumber business."

I imagine her in jeans and work boots. "Hey, do you have any extra Docs with flowers on them?"

She giggles. "Of course I do."

I float back to my room, thinking about spending the day with Brady. A smile spreads across my face because I'm going to dream tonight. And I want to. Because anything I imagine us doing is entirely possible.