Her Bear To Keep (Second Chance Shifters 5)

H
er Bear to
Keep

Copyright 2016 Meredith Clarke

Published Jan 2016

T
his ebook is licensed
for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please don’t participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

J
ordan tried really hard not
to fidget. It was her friend’s wedding after all, and standing up at the altar pulling down her Spanx would not be a good look.

She smiled as she watched Mia, looking gorgeous and beyond happy, walk down the aisle. Her eyes never wavered from Drake, her groom’s, face. If she wasn’t so excited for them, Jordan would probably have made exaggerated gag noises at the dopey looks on their faces.

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in love, mating for life, or finding that one person you didn’t mind looking dopey over. It was just that she knew it wasn’t possible.

Not for her.

Not anymore.

Jordan’s eyes shifted covertly to where Tyson was standing in position as best man, but shifted right back when she saw he was watching her.

Tyson Mitchell. The one who got away.

Correction, the one she’d
pushed
away.

She’d done her best to avoid him over the last four years, which wasn’t easy when you lived in a small town and your ex was not only the town deputy, but also one of the most respected members of the local clan.

Tyson was a bear shifter. He hadn’t shifted until later in life, a late bloomer, but both of his parents were shifters, and he’d never doubted the fact that he was too, even though others had warned him that not every child born of shifters had the gift.

None of that had mattered to Jordan, who, although human, had fallen in love with Tyson the first time she’d laid eyes on him.

They’d been young, only twelve years old, and at that time, there was a segregation between shifters and non-shifters. Everyone pretty much stayed with their own kind, and Tyson didn’t even know she existed, but she saw him, and Jordan knew… he was
the one
for her.

Jordan loved him from a distance at first. Then, in high school, Drake put an end to the segregation. Everyone knew Drake would be chief of his clan one day, and even at such a young age, people were willing to follow him. Drake had fallen in love with her best friend, Mia, at fifteen, which thrust Jordan and Tyson together. But only as friends, which had
killed
Jordan. At least she got to be close to him.

That time with Mia, Drake, and Ty had been the best of her life, but it was short lived. Mia’s parents sent her away to New York, leaving Drake devastated. Not wanting a reminder of the love that he’d lost, Drake had stopped hanging out with Jordan, which meant Tyson did too.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Jordan shook herself out of her memories and back to the present. She couldn’t believe she’d missed Mia and Drake’s vows, what a horrible friend she was…

Ignoring Tyson’s offered arm, Jordan walked down the aisle after her friends with her arms firmly against her side.

“C’mon, Jordan, can’t you just thaw out a bit… for Mia?” Tyson whispered from beside her, and she bristled at his words.

Thaw out? Really?
Like she was an ice queen or something.

Rather than yell and engage in a fight like she normally would, Jordan kept her lips shut and her eyes forward, ignoring him all together.

It wasn’t an easy feat to manage. At six foot six, Ty was a gorgeous, chocolate-skinned, bald-shaven man, with rippling muscles and a deep, quiver-inducing voice. Whereas most bears tended to be hairy, with bushy beards and long hair, Tyson preferred to keep himself clean-shaven and smooth.

The sight of him always caused her breath to hitch and her nether regions to tremble.

There was some trembling going on right then, but Jordan did her best to keep her reactions to herself. She knew that if Tyson scented even a hint of arousal from her, he’d be all over her.

She was his mate after all, and if his bear sensed even a hint of willingness on her part, Jordan doubted that Ty would be able to control the urge to claim her once again.

That was why she’d perfected the art of staying out of his way. She’d managed to be very successful at it for four years, and then Mia had come back to town, and Jordan had been thrown together with Ty more than she was comfortable with.

It was much easier to deny the attraction, the desire, the
need,
she felt for him when she was sitting alone in her apartment reading horror novels and binge watching shows on Netflix.

Keeping her thoughts to safe, non-sexy things, like how to get a wine stain out of her living room rug, and whether or not fish made good pets, Jordan walked out of the church and into her car without any further interaction with Ty.

Now she just needed to get through the wedding reception. Then, she could go back to avoiding Ty and living her sad little life alone.

“Well, that was a depressing thought,” Jordan muttered as she parked and made her way into the hall where the reception was being held. Then she looked into her rear view mirror and said, “Just a couple more hours, Jordan. You’ve got this. Stay away from the alcohol and Tyson, and for God’s sake, keep it in your pants.”

She stopped in the restroom to freshen up and pull down her Spanx in private, before taking a deep breath and going out into the music filled room. People were already starting to dance, but Jordan wanted no part of that. She just wanted to be there to wish her friends well on their honeymoon, then get the hell out of there and go spend some alone time with her cat, Vicious.

“Oh, Jordan, there you are. It’s so nice to see a familiar face. I swear everyone’s been giving me the evil eye since I walked in.”

Jordan turned to see Mia’s mother standing against the wall, her eyes wide with sadness as she surveyed the room.

“Hi, Ms. Carter, how are you feeling?” she asked as she walked over to lean against the wall next to the woman who’d baked cookies for her as a child.

Mia’s mother had been one of the driving forces behind Mia being sent to New York and being away from Drake for twelve years or so. Mia and Drake had been through a lot to get back together, and were trying very hard to find it in their hearts to forgive Mia’s mom, going so far as to invite her to the wedding. Their friends and the clan members hadn’t been quite as forgiving.

“I’m doing much better, thank you,” Ms. Carter answered. She’d been in a coma after being shot during a robbery, which had been instigated by Mia’s father. It was a long story, but even though Ms. Carter had done bad things, Jordan was happy that she hadn’t been more seriously injured, and she knew Ms. Carter regretted her actions. “But I could really use a drink. Have one with me?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Jordan said, holding up a hand to wave off the suggestion. “I really wasn’t planning on…”

“Please,” Mia’s mother pleaded. “Don’t make me drink alone.”

Jordan sighed and held up one finger.

“Okay,
one
drink.”

Ms. Carter smiled and said she’d go get them.

Jordan was leaning against the wall when she
felt
Tyson enter the room, causing her to push off of the wall and stand up straighter. He barely spared her a glance as he walked over to the DJ booth, and a few seconds later, the music stopped as the DJ announced the arrival of Mia and Drake.

Good, she’d get to leave soon.

“Here you go, Jordan,” Ms. Carter said as she handed her a glass filled with dark liquid.

Jordan grabbed the glass like it was a lifeline, taking a healthy swig, then choking as it burned its way down her throat.

“What is it?” she asked when she was able.

“Double whiskey and coke,” Ms. Carter replied. “You said only one, so I figured it’d better be a good one.”

Jordan felt Ty’s eyes on her and took another drink, and as warmth spread through her, she realized that she probably should have eaten something that day other than the blueberries she’d had for breakfast. But she’d wanted her dress to look good, and the day had been so hectic, that Jordan just hadn’t found the time to eat.

She was thinking about grabbing a snack, the fluid feeling of her limbs warning her that the alcohol was hitting her fast, when she felt heat at her back.

“You can’t ignore me all night,” Ty’s velvety voice said low in her ear.

“Oh, shit,” Jordan whispered. Desire flooded her, pooling slickly between her legs.

H
is mate’s
desire hit him like a force field, catching him by surprise and awakening his bear.

Ty heard her say something, but didn’t quite understand her as the blood rushed from his brain.

She wanted him.

He could smell it. Her desire filled all of his senses even as his mind questioned what was happening.

Jordan hated him, didn’t she?

Sure, at first she’d been devastated at ending their relationship, but she’d grown colder over the years. Had it all been a ruse? A mask that she’d put on to protect herself from the pain he felt every second of every day from being apart from her? His mate.

Her hair was up, leaving her neck bare, so Tyson had free access to nuzzle her softly. Jordan was tall for a woman, but even in heels, he still had to bend to reach her neck.

She moaned, and Ty felt it all the way to his cock.

Opening his mouth, he kissed the base of her neck at her shoulder gently, then sucked on her strawberry-scented skin, causing her to melt back into him. Tyson brought his arms around her waist to steady her, then ran his nose up, reveling in the slight shiver that coursed through her body at his touch.

Ty knew his control was about to snap, his bear eager to claim its mate after four long years without her. The evidence of Jordan’s desire made him think she felt the same way, but still, he had to be sure.

“Is this what you want?” he asked gruffly, having no doubt she knew what he was asking. They knew each other too well for her to not realize that his need for her was pulsing through him, threatening to tear him apart.

“God, yes,” she murmured, giving him the only response he needed.

Instinct took over, and oblivious to what was going on around him, Ty took Jordan’s hand and led her out of the room, his focus on one thing and one thing only, claiming her once again.

Ty tried each door in the hallway until one opened. He shoved it closed behind them and locked it, before pushing her up against the wood and fusing his lips to hers.

Jordan opened immediately, her mouth hot, wet, and as eager as his own. His hands went up to her hair, tugging gently until the long, dark, tendrils fell around her shoulders. He’d always loved her hair. Thick and glossy, she’d always gone crazy when he fisted his hand in it, and he’d loved the way it looked splayed out across her naked body. Filled with memories and a sense of rightness, Ty buried his fists in her hair and bunched them up, pulling lightly as his tongue swept through her mouth.

She moaned against his lips, and he could smell a fresh rush of desire run through her.

His Jordan, his
mate
. She always liked it a little rough.

Eager to please them both, Ty pulled her dress down in front, exposing her luscious breasts, then pinched both of her nipples between his fingers, causing her to cry out. She threw her head back against the door, exposing her perfect neck as he teased her hard, rosy nipples.

Her breasts were very sensitive, and Ty could sometimes make her come by playing with them alone. That’s not what he wanted to happen today, though. He hadn’t had Jordan’s body available to him in a long time, and he was determined to make the most of it.

Dropping to his knees, Tyson went under her floor length dress and buried his face in her sweet pussy. He heard Jordan moan as she thrust her hips toward him, his mouth opening to lick her through her white satin panties. Ty teased her over the material, then pulled it to the side and ran his tongue along the velvet seam of her lips, stopping to suck on her clit.

“Holy
shit,
Ty,” Jordan cried. “You feel so good.”

He’d forgotten how vocal she was during sex. How much he’d loved it. Ty realized he’d tried to block most of it out over the years, as it was just too painful for him to remember.

But now that he had her taste on his tongue and her moans in his ears, every second that they’d ever spent together came flooding back, heightening the pleasure for him tenfold.

His cock strained against his tuxedo pants, eager to be inside the slick heat of his mate, causing him to fuck her harder with his tongue, his nose rubbing against her clit as she unabashedly moved her hips, eager to reach her release.

Jordan came quickly, his name on her lips as she rocked against his mouth, her juices coating his tongue as her scent filled his nose. A growl rumbled deep in his chest as need crashed through him and his bear took over.

In one swift motion Ty stood and turned Jordan, her hands coming up to brace herself against the door. He tore her panties off with one satisfying rip as he freed his cock from his slacks and thrust her skirts up, taking a moment to appreciate the fullness of her perfectly plump ass before taking her hips in his hands and pulling her back. Once her ass was tilted perfectly up for him, her head bent, her free breasts dangling seductively, Ty slid forcefully into the place he’d longed to be for the last four years.

Inside his mate.

There was no finesse or gentleness, just the sounds of flesh pounding against flesh, mingled with Jordan’s moans and Ty’s grunts.

“Harder,” Jordan begged, pushing her hands against the door to give him deeper access. “I’ve missed your cock.”

Driving him to the brink of insanity, her words fueled him, causing him to thrust deeper, harder, faster.

Her little whimpers told him she was close to coming again, so Ty reached one hand around and under the skirt of her dress until he found the tight bundle of nerves just begging for release. He flicked her clit deftly as he fucked her, and as he felt his orgasm begin to crash through them, he leaned forward and bit her on the back of her shoulder, hard.

Until they both came. Hard.

Tyson rested his forehead on the back of Jordan’s head, which was resting on the door, as he tried to catch his breath.

Not having sex for four years would have made what had just happened between him and Jordan intense for anyone, but the fact that he had also finally claimed his mate had his body shaking with emotion as well as physical exhaustion.

I love you
was on the tip of his tongue, but before he could say the words, Jordan ducked and slid out from underneath him. Ty turned his head slightly to see her fixing her dress quickly, and all hope fled him when he saw she was once again glaring at him.

“What the fuck did you do?” Jordan demanded, and Ty closed his eyes to hide the pain.