One in a Bear-llion (Polar Heat Book 3) (3 page)

If Scott weren’t so driven and obsessed with work, and so disinterested in mating, he probably would have made the perfect mate. With his strength and dominance, she doubted anyone would bother him.

Oh well, she’d just be happy to borrow him for a while.

When he’d been quiet for a moment, she broke the silence. “I’m hungry. Should we go have lunch?”

He nodded anxiously, and she wondered what had been on his mind. He swooped her up in his arms, and she thought she could get used to it.

She’d ask him what he was thinking once they sat down for lunch.

S
cott’s insides were roiling
. He’d kissed her. Why had he kissed her?

Something had happened, something odd and never experienced before, and now a part of him was burning for something he couldn’t even name.

He fought the low growl trying to burst out of him as he carried Mara out of the water and set her down on the towels he’d laid out under their umbrella.

She was… She was…

He remembered the feel of her hot, soft mouth taking him in. Her little wriggles and gasps.

The need to take her had been nearly irresistible, and he was a man accustomed to keeping himself under tight control.

This was why business was better. There was no messy emotional component. Just problems to be fixed. Being here with her, feeling each response of his body to hers as she wrapped herself in a towel and sat watching the ocean, waiting for him to feed her, to care for her—it was waking up something inside him.

Something that thought taking care of her felt a little too right.

He flopped on a towel next to her and opened the cooler to take out a sandwich, which he handed to her. The kitchen had prepared the lunch for them and brought it to him all ready.

But a part of him wished he could say he’d cooked it.

All at once, a possibility of what was happening to him with this female came to him, but he immediately brushed it away.

That wasn’t possible.

He wasn’t a romantic like his dad. He didn’t get caught up in things like that.

Needing something else to focus on, he moved to the next most troubling thing for him.

The stalker.

Just the thought of someone bothering Mara in any way enraged him. He was the oldest brother in his family and could at times be protective of his siblings. They’d quickly grown into huge bear shifters that didn’t need anyone’s protection, but still…

But it’d been a while since he’d seen something like this. Sure, he sometimes had to deal with an unruly guest harassing another, but what was scaring Mara seemed to be on another level.

She’d stopped going outside.

He didn’t go out often because of work, but that was different, his choice.

“So tell me more about this man,” he said. While he waited for her to respond, he took an iced coffee from the cooler and downed it in several gulps. “So I know what I’m up against.”

“Well, he doesn’t know I’m here,” she said. “And if he did, I doubt he’d come all the way here when he knows I have to come back home.”

“Do you, though?” he asked. “I mean, you could probably stay as long as you liked, and maybe that would be best until this guy can be dealt with.”

She shook her head. “He’s not going to be
dealt
with
. I’ve already made myself okay with that.”

Rage formed a bigger and bigger ball in his chest as he saw her just calmly accepting a half life where some douchebag got to ruin things for her.

“No,” he said. “He’ll be dealt with. I’m sorry everyone in your life has been so remiss, but you’ve just told someone who can’t let it go.” He gave her a wry smile he hoped was reassuring. He knew she had no real reason to trust him, but despite his occasional grumpiness, he wasn’t a bad person. “I may be a work-obsessed asshole, but I get shit done. We will solve this, Mara,” he said. “We can work on it at night after I finish my work.”

She nodded. “But what if things get busy? Don’t promise you’re going to help if you’re going to just get caught up in other things. I’ve had too many people make promises and then back out when it was too much for them.”

He gave her a cocky smile and cracked his knuckles. “Oh, I’ll be making sure I’m too much for him, not the other way around. But I get why this is important. And hell, it’s almost as much fun as work, knowing I’ll be solving a problem for you that no one else has been able to.” He stood and stretched. “At least I won’t just be bending to my dad.”

She grinned at him. “Rocky relationship there?”

“Yup,” he said.

“I have one request, though,” she said quietly.

He looked down at her. She was staring at a chilled soda she’d pulled from the cooler, a pensive look on her face. “What?”

“I just… Let’s keep it from being complicated.”

“Complicated?”

Her eyes flashed at him. They were dark and a clear, rich brown with long curled lashes. Adorable eyes. Beautiful eyes. “You know, like what you did out there in the sea,” she said. “I get you’re attracted to me, but I also know that doesn’t change anything. You aren’t looking for anything serious, and I’m just grateful to have a safe place and don’t want to ruin that. So let’s keep it uncomplicated.”

“So I can’t kiss you?” he asked.

“Do you normally kiss people you’re showing around the island?”

“I don’t normally show anyone around the island,” he said, beating around the bush. “I only show clients around the resort.”

“Well, do you normally hit on clients?” she asked.

“If I want to,” he lied. He didn’t really meet any clients he wanted to hit on.

But he didn’t think he could promise not to kiss her if they spent time together, so he decided to be straightforward and tell her so.

“I’m pretty sure if we’re together, things are going to be complicated,” he said, reaching for a strand of her hair. Her full lips parted as he came close. “But I can promise you it’ll be a much more fun kind of complicated than the one you’ve been living.”

“But you don’t want a mate,” she said softly, lips still parted.

“I know what I said,” he conceded. “But I also know I can’t leave you alone to deal with this on your own. And my body just really responds to you.” He stroked a finger down her cheek. “And I know yours responds to me.”

“I don’t want to get hurt,” she said. “I’m not in a good place for it.” She tried to turn away, but he held her gaze. “I just… Things have been such a mess. You’re the first person I’ve told in a long time. If you get involved and then you decide to just leave…”

“I won’t,” he said. “Not until we get this sorted out. I promise I won’t let you go until you’re safe again.” She frowned, and he realized that wasn’t a good enough offer. But it was all he had at the moment. “I’m sorry I can’t give more.”

She took in a large breath and let it out in a slow sigh. “It’s more than I guess I expected. So thank you.” She gave him a small smile and put her arms around her legs and looked out at the ocean, and he turned to look as well.

Damn, he wanted to kiss her.

But he’d try to resist it as much as possible, for their sanity.

He didn’t think he’d be very successful, though.

S
cott dropped
off Mara at her room, saying he had some things to do and she could either come or he’d come over when he was done.

She told him to get work done and said good-bye before taking a nap in her room.

A knock on the door several hours later woke her. She yawned, stretched, and looked out the window at the ocean, which was a dusky blue-gray in the waning light.

It’d been a long day, and she could still feel the salty feel from the water on her skin. She should have showered before getting into bed.

She stood and walked into her bathroom, started the water running, and checked the temp with her hand.

Tonight, Scott would brainstorm with her about ways to deal with her stalker. She had to admit he was attacking it more head on than anyone else had. She’d gotten the police involved, but that had offered no protection whatsoever.

Plus, since her stalker hadn’t ever hurt her physically, she got the feeling the police and some family members didn’t take her seriously about what was happening.

But by the intensity of his obsession, she couldn’t help feeling things were escalating, and no matter how it ended, it wouldn’t be good for her.

She pulled off the clothes she’d changed into after the day at the beach and looked at her naked body in the mirror. There was something empowering about simply looking at her nakedness without fear. When she was home, she could never know if she was being watched.

Here on this island, far away from anything troubling her, she almost felt she could paint again.

Almost.

It hadn’t surprised her that she couldn’t paint once the stalking had gotten bad. Painting was something that came out of the freedom of her soul, and when she felt trapped, she could raise her brush to canvas as much as she wanted, but no beauty would flow.

And she ached to create her art again. In the past three years, she’d thrown herself into other hobbies and even taken a job assisting her mother at her art gallery. But that had been a painful reminder of everything she’d been missing.

If it were a gift, something she’d always been able to do and worked so hard to be good at, then how could it be taken away so easily?

If there were such a thing as painter’s block, she had it.

The shower area was large and encased in glass. She stepped inside and sighed as the steam surrounded her. She poured body wash on her hands and started lathering. As her slick hands moved over her flesh, she closed her eyes and imagined it was Scott.

Sure, he could be an asshole sometimes, but he was hot. Also, he was sort of a capable asshole—someone who got things done—and that was attractive.

She could just picture those hot eyes watching her as he stroked her, commanding her to come for him. Damn, she loved how dominant he could be. She sighed and moved her hands between her legs, gasping at how much more sensitive than usual she was.

Lately, stress had kept her from being able to enjoy any alone time. But she was definitely enjoying it now.

A thump in the bathroom made her jump, and as her heart pounded painfully, her eyes flew open and she found herself looking straight into the blue eyes she’d been imagining.

His jaw dropped and he turned away with a hand over his eyes. “Sorry! Sorry! When you didn’t answer the door, I freaked out.” He stayed facing away from the shower as she struggled to cover her body with her hands.

Damn, how embarrassing it was to be caught masturbating by the man she was thinking of while doing it!

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

“Um, can I help?” he joked.

Her face flamed. He had seen. She picked up a bar of soap and threw it at him over the top of the door, and he slipped out with a laugh.

She leaned against the wall of the shower. When her heart finally slowed, she realized it was actually kind of incredible. He’d been worried about her, not perving on her.

Perhaps it wasn’t such a big deal. But when he offered to help, did he mean it, or was he just easing the tension?

Because now that she thought about it, an orgasm would be amazing. She didn’t have to let it mean anything. But wouldn’t it be nice to be held in his strong arms, completely safe, as she let herself be pleasured?

He was attracted to her. So what if he couldn’t or wouldn’t look for a commitment? Maybe he could just help her out of her shell. They could enjoy time together and then go on their way.

She took a deep breath, drawing all her courage up inside her, and then called out to him. “Um, Scott? Did you mean what you said?”

After a moment, he appeared in the door, head cocked. He was wearing a suit, as he’d been working prior to coming over. “About?”

She kept her hands over her body and then slowly removed them, showing herself to him. She couldn’t believe she was being this brazen, but there was something about him that just made all her reservations slip away.

“Are you serious?” he asked, taking a step toward the shower and unbuttoning his dress shirt as he went. “Hell yes.”

“You offered,” she said huskily. She needed this. She needed to forget, to just be alive for a few moments. He was perfect for that, with his big hands and his big muscles. Those eyes…

“I did,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically breathy.

She rubbed a hand lightly over her breast, waiting for him to make a move.

“You said you wanted to keep it uncomplicated,” he said. “Now you’re tempting me…”

She grinned. “Keep it simple, then. I just need…”

He stepped into the shower, ignoring the fact that he was in a dress shirt and work slacks. He pinned her to the wall with a hand on either side of her head. “What do you need?”

She drew a finger down his chest, loving the way his muscles became even more apparent in his soaked and transparent dress shirt. She reached for his belt, but he stepped back, giving her a full view as he removed it himself.

“As long as you don’t let this confuse you,” he said. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

“My pleasure,” she corrected.

“Honey, your pleasure
is
my pleasure,” he said, tossing his belt over the top of the shower and unbuttoning his pants. She reached out to pull his shirt down over his arms, leaving him bared in a wet undershirt. He pulled it over his head with both hands in one smooth movement, and she gasped at the sight of his beautiful body.

Something about having him here with her, alone in the shower, was so much hotter than being in the ocean. Maybe because she was naked. Maybe because the way he looked at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

She reached for the waistband of his pants, wanting to pull them down and see what was beneath them, but before she could, he leaned forward and planted a kiss at the base of her neck, sending heat sizzling through her. He brought up his hands to cup her large breasts, and she arched to give him better access.

With the steam all around them, it felt surreal. He’d only been in her life for two days, and she’d been angry with him for one of them, and now he was the first man she’d been naked with in over three years.

It was crazy.

Almost as crazy as how good his hands felt on her breasts. He swirled slowly, catching her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and pinching lightly. She gasped and threw back her head. It wasn’t fair she was naked and he wasn’t, but when she reached for his pants again, he stepped back.

“No,” he said, stepping close and cupping his hand against her at the juncture of her legs.

She gasped and nearly lost her footing, but he caught her around the waist with his other hand and held her against the shower wall. He rubbed gently over her, and it was exactly as she’d pictured it in her imagination.

She wasn’t someone who fantasized a lot. Well, that was a lie. She fantasized about painting again and about feeling safe in her world and having someone who understood how she felt without having to explain over and over.

She’d given up and just let people think she was fine, but she wasn’t.

Except right now in his arms, wrapped up in his heat and the rising pleasure inside her, she
was
fine. And it felt so good.

He kissed her voraciously along her shoulders and neck, which were hot and sensitive from all the steam. Had she ever felt this good? He might be an asshole, but damn, he made her body melt into white heat.

As she felt the pressure inside her tighten to a fever pitch, he grabbed her wrists in his hands and pinned them above her head, then covered her mouth in a deep, scalding kiss as he ground against her with his hard member still clothed by wet material. The friction was unbearable, and pleasure exploded through her with an intensity that made her want to cry it was so good.

She trembled, but he held her up, catching all her gasps with deep kisses, swirling his tongue against hers, making her think of other things she’d like to do with him.

As she came down from the orgasm, panting and unable to believe what just happened, she opened her eyes to see him staring at her intently. She was trapped against his powerful body, and he raked her with his gaze as if deciding what to do next. She didn’t know how much more she could take.

But when he kneeled in front of her on the floor of the shower, his powerful thighs stretching his pants taut, she knew she wasn’t going to say no, either.

She dug her hands into his short hair as his mouth brushed over her curls and he kissed her center deeply, as he had her mouth. She raised a fist to her mouth and bit it. Was this a usual thing for new partners to do together? Or only when horny, pent-up, overstressed bear shifters got together?

His hands dug into her hips, holding her possessively as he explored her with his lips, his tongue. He played over her folds, dipped close to her entrance, and then came up to toy with her most sensitive spot, swirling his tongue over it.

She wished she had something to hold on to, because she knew an earth-shattering orgasm was coming and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

He knew it too, and he looked up at her with a wicked grin as he continued to kiss her.

The sight of such a huge, gorgeous man kneeling in front of her but in full control, holding her with those strong hands, was too much for her, and passion exploded through her again.

It felt like lightning. Lightning that went on and on. Her legs buckled, but he came up and caught her, kissing her and letting her taste herself on him.

Her bear growled low inside her, but she ignored it as her orgasm continued to rock through her. She dug her nails into his back, and he growled in pleasure.

She reached for his pants again, but he captured her hands one last time and pinned them to the wall as he kissed her. It was a deep kiss, possessive and expressive, and she had no choice but to open wide and let him delve inside, claiming her totally.

When he pulled away, leaving her gasping, she was frustrated and aching for more. For him inside her. She ground against him, letting him know what she wanted.

He sighed and rested his forehead against the shower. “Damn. Stopping is impossible.” He looked up at her, water and steam all around them, streaming over his handsome features as his hands clung to her like he couldn’t let go. “You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met. It’s the first time I can’t walk away.”

Her lips pulled up in a small grin. “Then don’t.” Her heart pounded hard, her shyness left behind in the heat of pleasure. She just wanted to feel more of what he had to give.

She writhed against the wall behind her, loving the slick feel of her skin on the smooth tile.

She felt light, happy, and like the only thing that could make this better was full-on sex.

His fingers tensed on her as he let out a sharp growl, then pushed away from her. He swiped his shirt from the floor and put it on hurriedly, splashing water all around him.

She sank in a pile of mush as she watched him pace in front of the shower. When he saw her, his face tightened and he quickly moved to pick her up and carry her into the bedroom, depositing her on the bed before going back to pacing.

She could see his cock, still huge and hard in his pants. What was keeping him from going further?

The air outside the shower was cool and air-conditioned, and she pulled sheets over her for cover.

As he paced and cursed, she felt her ardor cool slightly. Her body still felt amazing, warm and loose and pleasured, and she decided not to let whatever he said or did now affect how much she’d enjoyed that.

Finally, he turned to her, looking unbearably sexy in his wet clothing, still dripping all over her carpet. “What now?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

He ruffled his wet hair, launching several more water droplets. “How am I supposed to just be your guide now? How am I supposed to just show you around to turtle farms when I know just how hot that body feels? Your face…” He let out a growl and paced some more. She couldn’t believe she had this kind of effect on him. “I just… You keep getting to me,” he said, sending her a sidelong glare that said he blamed her entirely.

She shrugged. “You walked in on me.”

“Exactly,” he said. “It’s been two days, and I went from blowing you off to having to see how you were doing to having to suck you off in the shower. Which was amazing.” He gave her a grin. “But now what? I’m not in the right place for a relationship, Mara. I don’t know what this is.” He gestured between them.

“Maybe you should get a towel. You’re dripping everywhere,” she said calmly.

He turned on his heel and did just that. Damn, she liked the look of him patting his body with it. When he was satisfied, he sat in a whicker chair by the window and looked out.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to…?” She looked pointedly at his erection.

“Yes. The best part is seeing you go,” he said.

That was different. She hadn’t had a lot of lovers, but most of them definitely did
not
seem to think her orgasm was the best part. Perhaps Scott was a better man than he sometimes appeared.

Her heart was still pounding from the encounter. Sure, she’d initiated the sex for comfort and just to feel something good with a hot man. But there in the shower, it had felt like more. So overwhelming. So much bigger than them.