Lumberman Werebear (Saw Bears Book 7) (2 page)

Haydan linked his hands behind his head and exhaled the breath he’d been holding. “This is a bad idea.”

“I’ll be a good mate.”

“Maybe, but I won’t. That’s a guarantee.”

“Will you choke me if I don’t do what you want?” She canted her head and cast him a challenging glare when he didn’t answer. “Well, would you?”

“I wouldn’t ever touch a woman out of anger.”

“Then you’ve already got my other beau beat. Do you want to hear my last rule?”

“Sure,” he said, defeated.

“No falling in love with me.”

He huffed air and nodded. Of course. He hated Matt, and now Haydan was going to claim his sister, who was just as emotionally detached as him. They were all the same—Matt, Cassie, and him—and that was tragic. No chance of love for any of them. “That won’t be a problem.”

Cassie held onto her purse with a death grip to steady her shaking hands. Haydan could’ve said no. In fact, she’d fully expected him to, but for some reason, she’d convinced him to take her to the Ashe Crew.

And now she was sitting in a jacked-up Jeep with the man she’d watched at the bar like a schoolgirl with a crush. Insta-love was just this idea that silly romantics made up, and it wasn’t that. She didn’t even know the man or if they would get along. All she knew was that when she saw him sitting at the bar, brooding with those dark eyes and that burred head, with those curling tendrils of tattoo ink up his neck… With his muscular arms pressing against the thin fabric of the forest green sweater he wore, and the way his jeans clung to his powerful legs, well hell, she’d gotten one thing out of the way and off her checklist. She wouldn’t mind sleeping with him.

Unlike Carl. Carl, her previous alpha, she would definitely mind sleeping with. He’d had a bearable physique, yes, but he had a mean streak a mile wide. She’d seen him with other women he was trying to breed, and he didn’t seem to like the fairer sex much. And she wasn’t stupid. If she accepted his claim, he wouldn’t treat her any nicer.

Oh, she could tell Haydan wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t feel the same as the rest of his crew about mates. His bear was right there, in his eyes, turning them as silver as the moon, and the constant rumble in his throat said his inner animal didn’t give a single fuck about protecting her. He’d just as soon eat her as defend her.

But there was something about Haydan the man that she had trusted instantly when she’d seen him at the bar. She didn’t know how Matt had known he would show up here tonight and, frankly, she didn’t care. Her brother was a lot smarter than anyone gave him credit for.

God, why was she shaking this badly? Probably because there was a half-Changed pissed off grizzly shifter in a cramped Jeep with her. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up on end, and her skin was beginning to tingle.

“Are you okay to drive?” she asked. “Drinking and driving isn’t just dangerous for you, you know. It’s dangerous for the other people on the road.”

Haydan snorted and shook his head. “And the nagging has begun.”

She frowned at a juicy bug that splatted against the windshield. Crap, he was right. “Sorry.”

“Sheeyit,” he muttered and jerked the Jeep to the side of the road. He slammed on the brake and threw it into park. “See, this is why I was telling your asshole brother I wasn’t going to be any good at this.”

“At what?”

“Protecting anyone. Here I have you for ten minutes, and what do I do? Drive on two shots of whiskey. You drive. I don’t even feel buzzed anymore, but it would be just my luck that we go over a cliff tonight.”

“Okay, that’s a disturbing mental image. You’ll have to tell me where to go.” She jogged around the front of the ride and settled behind the wheel while he buckled his seatbelt. “And my brother’s not an asshole. Don’t talk about him like that.”

“Ha. That’s rich. Matt’s trouble. Don’t be blinded because of familial ties, Cas.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? I don’t get to call you a pet name? Is that number four on your rules?”

“My name is Cassia Lisa Belle. If you feel like calling me anything, Cassie is nickname enough.”

“You got it, Cas.”

She gripped the wheel and hit the gas a little too hard just to get him to stop talking. “You know, if you really knew Matt or the things he’s been through or what he’s done for me, you wouldn’t have that awful opinion of him.”

“Does any of his mysteries make it okay for him to sleep with every woman he sees and ditch them the next day? Or to kiss women who say no? Because he definitely did that with one of my crew. He even bit her lip. Not deep enough to Turn her, but just to piss off her mate. I know what I see, and Matt’s a dick.”

“Nah, you’re looking at it wrong. You can’t compare Matt’s actions against normal shifters, because he’s not normal. He’s searching. That’s why he’s acting like that.”

“Searching for what?”

“A connection. For someone who makes him
feel
. I gave up on that when we were kids, but Matt won’t let it go. It’s stupid to chase something that doesn’t exist, but I admire him for holding onto hope like that.”

Haydan went quiet and stared out his window, scraping his thumb across the short stubble on his jaw. Minutes dragged on in silence until at last he said, “So Matt’s problem is with his bear?”

“I’m not talking about my brother anymore.”

“Adopted brother. Is that why your last name is Belle? What happened to your real family?”

Cassie inhaled sharply at the pain that slashed through her middle.
Don’t think about them.
“Matt is as real as any family can be to me. He practically raised me.”

Haydan jerked his attention to her. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“And how old is Matt?”

“Thirty-two.”

“You were raised by someone only six years older than you?”

She didn’t answer. It was plain and obvious that Haydan wouldn’t understand their family dynamics, and she sure as shit wasn’t sharing anything about how she’d met Matt. Those stories were red and full of pain and would be buried with her the day she died, shared with no one but Matt and Jake. Jake. More pain, and she nearly doubled over. Carl had killed him when he’d challenged for alpha. Her throat grew tight, and it was hard to breathe, but dammit, she wasn’t losing it over her last mate. Not while she was in here with Haydan. She didn’t bear his mark yet, and showing him what a raw end of the deal he was getting wasn’t going to make it happen any faster.

“I have a proposition,” Haydan said low.

“Okay.” Her voice faltered, and he jerked his gaze to her again. She refused to take her eyes off the road, but she could almost smell his confusion.

“I don’t want a mate. I don’t want you as a mate—”

“Haydan, please—”

“No, let me finish. I know you’re in a tough spot, so we can play the game for a little while. I’ll call your alpha—”

“Former alpha—”

“Whatever. I’ll call your former alpha and tell him you’re my claim. What’s he going to do? Come here and check the mark himself? Nah, if he’s heard anything about my crew, he won’t set foot in these mountains without declaring war between black bears and grizzlies, and no offense, but it wouldn’t exactly be a fair fight unless you had double our numbers, which you don’t. And when his interest fades, you can go on your merry way, no strings attached. We aren’t bonding anyway, princess, so no harm no foul. I’ll protect you until the dust clears, and then you can leave and be happier for it.”

“What will I call you then?” she asked, baffled. This couldn’t work…could it?

“You can call me mate, but likely my crew will hear the lie in it. Best put some gusto behind it if you’re going to use that word. But between us, we’ll be friends.”

“With benefits.”

“Cas, you don’t have to fuck me for this to work.”

“I want to smell like you.”

“Jesus, woman.” He shook his head and ran his hand over his short hair. “I think sex is a bad idea. Turn right here.”

Cassie turned onto an uneven road that angled toward the mountains, her headlights drifting over piney woods and brush that lined both sides of the narrow two-laner. “Because of your bear?”

“No, my bear thinks it’s a great fuckin’ idea. I haven’t slept with anyone in a while.”

“You haven’t?”

Haydan huffed a laugh. “What, you’re surprised I haven’t just gone around banging every woman I see? That’s Matt’s gig, not mine. I’m no first-timer, but I’m choosier about my bed-mates. And why do we keep circling back around to sex?”

“Because… Okay, it’s clear we are from two different cultures. Maybe it’s a bigger deal in mine. Sex is how I keep my animal sated. I don’t think I can live in your house and not want it from you. And no, it’s not that I care about you. It’s that you’re hot as fuck and I can see your boner from here, and I want to see the rest of your tattoo.”

“Okaaay,” Haydan drawled out, a smile in his voice.

“Sorry. I don’t know why I said all that. You make me a little nervous. Er…your animal makes mine nervous.” Or something.

“You’re killing me right now, you know that?” It didn’t sound like a bad thing the way he said it, though.

“Why? What am I doing?” Cassie tried to contain the smile that kept turning up the corners of her lips.

“You’re not half bad looking and you’re asking me for a friends-with-benefits deal. It all seems a little too good to be true.”

“It’s not. I swear it’s not. I want a mark from you, but if you don’t want to give me one, it’s not like I can force you to bite me. Maybe this could work. No strings, like you said. But I have needs. Basic ones. Food, water, sleep, protection, sex. I’m not asking to make love, Haydan. I’m asking for you to just be with me and leave your emotions at the door.”

Cassie pulled the car over to the shoulder and put it in park.

“What’re you doing?”

“I’m going to show you that I’m serious. That’s this isn’t too good to be true.” She unbuckled, then ran her hand up Haydan’s thigh with a light touch.

He froze, muscles taut and stony, as her touch drifted up the length of his erection pressed against the tight seam of his jeans.

Haydan’s bigger head started a slow shake in denial, but his other head throbbed against her hand. “Come on, Cas. Is this really what you want to do?”

Hell yes, it was. Haydan was hot, and fooling around took her mind off the bad stuff, which he’d dredged up with his incessant questions. This was best for both of them.

“A man like you shouldn’t go so long without release,” she murmured, voice gone huskier than she’d meant. Her panties were slowly soaking as she imagined Haydan sliding into her from behind. That was her favorite position. No eye contact, no kissing, just skin slapping, hip-jerking, humping until she was right on the cusp of pain. Then release, and she was okay again.

But tonight was for Haydan. He was wary of her, and he needn’t be. She was going to make him happy. She was confident in that ability since she’d satisfied Jake. He hadn’t ever wanted for anything because she’d taken care of his needs. She’d do the same with Haydan, and in return, he’d keep her safe. It was a fair trade. Life was simple and manageable this way.

She unbuttoned his jeans, and the slow rip of the zipper overpowered the soft country song playing in his Jeep.

“You don’t have to do this, Cas. I’m taking you to my place. I can protect you without—”

She slid him out of his briefs with a long drag down his shaft until she reached the base, halting whatever unnecessary conversation he was trying at. His eyes rolled back and he jammed his head against the headrest. Slowly, she slid his jeans down, out of the way. Holy moly. She tried to steady her breathing. Haydan’s dick was intimidating. Long and thick, swollen and ready for her. Already, there was moisture at the tip just from one stroke.

She blew a soft breath over the head of his cock, and he rolled his hips toward her. Oh, she was going to get him to stop holding the back of the headrest and put those sexy hands in her hair to tell her how fast he wanted it.

She loved this. Reveled in it. She’d never been with a man who reeked of subdued power like Haydan. Even now, his bear was practically humming, pushing her own animal deep into hiding inside of her. A mixture of fear and excitement made this all the more erotic.

Cassie took his cock in her mouth and licked off the drop of moisture from the tiny slit at his tip. Fuck, he tasted good. Salt and Haydan—she committed the taste to memory. He groaned as she took him halfway, then slid her mouth back off him.

Three more strokes, and his legs were trembling.
Grab my hair.

She took him deeper, and his hips jerked, cock swelled.
Come on. Tell me what you like.

The first brush of his fingers in her hair drew a smile of triumph. She had him now.

He huffed out a helpless sound as she wrapped her hand around his base and went to work. Sucking, kissing, licking, careful with her teeth. His skin felt like silk in her mouth. He grabbed her hair, gritting out a sexy growl with every stroke of her mouth now. Damn, Haydan was sexy. No, not Haydan anymore. From here on, he’d be known as Hot as Fuck Haydan. Hot AF Haydan. Hot. She was touching herself now. Couldn’t help it. He was close, and she was so sensitive against her jeans.

That drugged up numb feeling was dumping into her system.

Haydan pulled her hand out of her pants. What? No.

“Let me,” he ground out.

But…that wasn’t how this was supposed to work. Jake had never—ooooh!

Hot AF Haydan’s hand slid against her wet folds, brushed her sensitive nub, and two of his fingers slipped inside of her as if he’d been built to fit there. More numbness, more floating.

Tension built in his grip on her hair, and he pushed her down against him, harder now as she bucked against his finger.

She was gonna…

Hot AF Haydan’s growling was constant now, equally terrifying and erotic. She ran her tongue hard up him the next time she pulled, milking him.