Reforming the Bear (8 page)

Chapter Eight

Liam
was a bear of routine. Usually the first thing he did after getting out of bed
was to stroll into the kitchen and make himself some strong coffee. It helped
wake him and get the cobwebs of his dreams out of his head.

Today
was different. This morning he had a pretty young human in a bed just a short
walk away from his house. He glanced out of the window to see if there was any
indication she might be up and about. The window that had been opened when he’d
turned in for the night was now shut. Maybe Lucy had gotten cold in the night.

This
morning he was starving and decided to get a start on making breakfast. He had
two cars to fix as well as Lucy’s. He glanced over at the apartment again. She
didn’t have any food in there so he’d cook extra eggs and bacon. He’d invite
her over to join him.

Liam
set everything out on the counter and then wandered over to the apartment and tapped
on the door. At first she didn’t answer and he wondered if she was still
asleep. He turned around ready to leave when he heard the latch being slid
across.

He
looked back not expecting to see Lucy standing there in just a t-shirt that
stopped mid-thigh. Her nipples pushed seductively against the t-shirt’s flimsy
material. She yawned.

“I
didn’t wake you, did I?” he asked.

“No,
I was awake, but just being lazy,” she said stretching both arms in the air.
The t-shirt pulled upwards, offering him a glimpse of pink lace panties and a
dark matte of hair showing through the transparent pieces of the material. He’d
seen photos of nude human women, lots of types, seen movies and TV shows of
them too, but this was the first time he’d gotten a glimpse of a human female
crotch in person. Well, not exactly a full view, but close enough. Shifter
women were devoid of pubic hair, so Lucy’s held his interest.

Too
much interest, because he guessed she knew where his focus was. She quickly
pulled down the t-shirt. Liam wasn’t sure who was more embarrassed, Lucy or
him.

He
stuttered his next few words. “I-I … was just, abou … about to make some
breakfast and wondered if you’d like to join me.” He’d never stammered in his
entire life.

“That
would be great. I mean if it’s no trouble.”

“None
at all. Bacon, eggs, and toast okay with you?”

“Perfect.”

“Coffee?”

“Actually,
I’m a tea drinker.”

“Don’t
think I have any but I do have orange juice.”

“That’s
great.”

“I’ll
get started on the bacon, so just wander over when you’re ready.”

“Will
do.”

He
turned and headed back to his place. Once he was in the kitchen he put the
light under the skillet and set the slices of bacon down inside it. He busied
himself but still couldn’t get the image of Lucy’s body from his mind. The
nipples, the panties, and the dark hair.

The
sound of tapping on the door made him jump. He looked out to see Lucy standing
there. He walked to the door and held it open until she was safely inside the
kitchen.

“Something
smells good,” she said.

“Here,
have a seat and I’ll pour you some juice.”

She
shuffled over to the table, set the crutches against the wall and sat. Liam put
a glass of orange juice down in front of her.

“How’s
your leg feeling?” he asked.

“Actually
a whole lot better. I’m thinking in a day or two I might be able to put some
weight on my foot.”

“Don’t
go rushing things,” he said, flipping the bacon over.

Not
that he didn’t want her leg to heal, but he was already used to having someone
around. Maybe Lucy would like to stay a little longer. Well, until she found a
house of her own.

He
glanced over at her as she sipped the juice.

Nope,
he wasn’t lonely period. He was lonely for female companionship.

“You
sleep okay?” he asked while beating the eggs.

“I
did, but the wolves or whatever was howling in the night woke me.”

“Yeah,
lots of them around these parts.” And not all regular wolves because some were
his shifter buddies.

“I
closed the window because I didn’t know how close they came to town, or if there
were also bears around too?”

“You
scared of bears or don’t like them or something?”

Had
that sounded confrontational? Shit, he hoped not because that wasn’t his
intent. He was just eager to know if she liked bears. God, he really hoped she
did, or things could get awkward.

“Just
a little scared of them. Never met one in person and probably never will so I
suppose I don’t have to worry too much,” she said.

Oh, you don’t
know how wrong you are. You’ve met two and a half already.

“In
fact, the hospital where you took me. Do they have an animal clinic too?”

Oh
no, what had she seen while she’d stayed there that night?

“No,
why do you ask?”

“I
walked along the hallway and I saw anatomy charts of what looked like a wolf
and a bear.”

“Probably
someone is studying them for a test at school.”

He
put the bacon and eggs on a platter in the middle of the table and then put a
plate of toast down in front of Lucy. “Dig in,” he said, sitting opposite her.

“This
looks so good. How come you’re not married or don’t have a girlfriend?”

Wow,
that question had come out of the blue.

“I
guess I’m not always the easiest person to get along with.”

There
… that had been totally honest. However much he denied it, tried to convince
himself his abrasiveness was down to what to keep the group safe, since Danny’s
death he’d been one grouchy bear who was oftentimes hard to be around. Lucy had
made him see it. Lucky for him, he now knew what it was like to help someone, and
share a smile and a laugh with them too. Yes, he preferred this Liam better.

“You
like toast with your honey?”

“What?”
asked Liam, caught off guard.

That
question had thrown him. Didn’t she mean
do
you like honey with your toast
but as he looked at the slice of bread and
saw it weighed down with a good half inch of the amber liquid, he knew why
she’d phrased it like she had.

He
laughed. He’d like to say he’d gotten carried away while deep in thought but
truth be told, this was a normal thing for him. He was a bear. Bears liked
honey.

“Guess
it’s a lot but I like it and this is local honey. A guy who lives on the edge
of Kalispell keeps bees and makes some of the best stuff in town. All us be…”

Oops, almost let
that one slip.

“All
us local folk buy it from him.”

Lucy
dipped her finger in the dish and put it to her mouth. A drizzle lingered on
her lips. He’d never been so tempted to lean over and lick it away as he was
right now.

“It’s
good,” she said.

He
could smell it on her breath. So enticing for a bear.

“Would
you mind if I used your shower?”

That
jolted him of that train of thought.

“The
water in the apartment seems to be sluggish,” said Lucy.

“Probably
because I’ve had it turned off for so long. I can take a look at it and if I
can’t fix it I can get someone to stop by and take a look at it.”

One
of the cougar shifters was a plumber and he always gave group members a hefty
discount.

“Yeah,
sure, go ahead and use the shower and bathroom whenever you want,” said Liam.
“You had enough to eat?”

“Yes,
that was perfect. Thank you. Maybe you can drop me off in town and I can pick
up some paint samples and you can look them over to see what you like.”

“Yeah,
I would like to get the place decorated because I just don’t feel like going in
there.”

“I
can understand that,” said Lucy.

“Okay,
you go shower and I’ll drop you at the DIY store in Kalispell. There are lots
of other stores close by, if you want to do some shopping.”

“A
dress. I’m going to need a dress. I guess a couple of dresses. Is the wedding
super formal?”

“Nope,
Bear and Hannah are keeping it simple and it’s going to be outside, so don’t go
overboard and pay too much for something really fancy.”

“I’ll
keep that in mind.”

“Which
reminds me, I have the bachelor party to attend tonight. You going to be okay
here, by yourself? I might not be back until the early hours of the morning.”

“No
problem. I can catch up on my reading.” She stood. “I’ll just go shower and
wash my hair and I’ll be ready.”

****

It
wasn’t until Lucy was in the shower that she realized she hadn’t picked up her
shampoo. She looked on the shelf by the taps and saw that Liam had some and hoped
he didn’t mind her using it. She popped open the cap and immediately loved the
smell. She put it to her nose. It smelled like him. In fact, as she took in its
scent an image of him sprung into her mind.

She
rubbed her palms together and then worked it into her hair. She closed her
eyes. No wonder he always smelled so good. Breakfast had been a treat. Not only
the food, which was cooked to perfection, but sitting opposite him looking into
those bluish-green eyes of his. Getting dreamy over the stubble where he hadn’t
shaved yet.

And
she actually was looking forward to decorating the apartment and acting like a
real interior designer.
 
Maybe she’d like
it so much that when she went home she’d switch careers.
 
Yeah, sure would beat being an insurance
adjuster. Maybe she’d redo homes of Philly’s rich and famous. She burst out
laughing, hoping the sound of the water masked it or Liam might think she was
one crazy lady.

While
she was in town maybe she’d chance calling Mike. Public call box wasn’t so
traceable. She wouldn’t tell him about what happened. Not about nearly being
raped and then injuring her leg. He had enough to worry about and guilt wasn’t
something she wanted to lay upon him.

Lucy
turned off the water, grabbed a towel and stepped out of the bath and began
drying herself. She’d always been nosy even as a child. She walked over to the
medicine cabinet and slowly opened back its door. Aspirin, mouthwash,
aftershave, saving cream, antiseptic cream … no condoms.

Lucy
didn’t know any guy who didn’t keep at least a few of those, even if it wasn’t
a whole box, in their medicine cabinet. Maybe Liam kept his near the bed. Made
sense. Maybe he didn’t have any because he hadn’t had sex in a while. She
remembered what he’d said about not being easy to be around but she didn’t
believe that for a minute. She enjoyed his company more than any other guy
she’d been with.

Gay.
Maybe he was gay. However, wouldn’t he still use condoms?

The
whole thought that maybe he preferred men to women suddenly made her heart
sink.

She
knew this was naughty, she knew it was a bad thing, but she was going to test
him to see if her inkling was correct.

She
wrapped the towel around her and secured it at the front. She took the crutches
and went out in the hallway and hobbled along and then purposely let a crutch
slip. It made the noise she’d hoped and as soon as she saw Liam heading into
the hallway she stood there, her leg jutting out so the towel divided right by
her thighs.

“The
crutch slipped,” she said, realizing this was a stupid idea.

He’d
definitely checked out her thigh before he’d leaned over to pick it up. What
happened next was something Lucy hadn’t planned on happening. The towel slipped,
leaving her standing naked just a foot from Liam.

Shit! He’s going
to think I did that on purpose
.

They
stood looking at one another. Was she turning as red as he was right now? And
oh yeah, he had the mother of bulges in the front of his jeans.

Lucy,
as quickly as her injury would allow, bent over and picked up the towel,
securing it in the front. “I’m sorry about that,” she said.

“No
need to apologize, but if you could excuse me.”

He
made a quick dash to the bathroom and slammed the door.

Chapter Nine

I do not do
human pussy
repeated in Liam’s head as he quickly lowered his jeans and boxers and moved
his hand swiftly over his cock.

He’d
never been this hard this fast, ever. Lucy’s body was amazing. Full breasts,
with rosy red nipples, curvy hips and thighs, and on top of all that, shapely
calves … plus the triangle of curls that once again had fascinated him.

He
moved his hand so quickly he was pretty sure smoke would begin billowing up any
second.

All
he could see was that gorgeous body of hers. Shit, he wanted it, wanted her,
but he didn’t fuck humans. He dug his toes into the lining of his boots,
feeling his climax reaching its wonderful peak. He blew the air out through his
mouth. He hadn’t had sex for a long time, hadn’t even jerked off like this for
what must be months.

He
roared and drew his back as the most wonderful release washed over him.

He’d
needed that so badly. He walked over to the toilet and sat down on the lid.

The bachelor
party
.
Maybe Bear’s cousin had invited some women and sex would be in the cards.
Hopefully they’d be shifter women and he could get his pent up libido
satisfied.

****

Lucy
was pretty sure Liam had been jerking off in the bathroom after the fallen
towel fiasco. She’d heard what sounded like a shout that quickly morphed into
an almost roar-like cry, and guessed he’d been doing some self-pleasuring.

She
took a sip of her drink as she sat on a patio of a café in downtown Kalispell
where Liam had dropped her off an hour ago. Neither of them had spoken about
the dropped towel and each had quickly looked away when the other had taken a
glance. They’d talked about something totally boring like weather on the drive
to Kalispell.
 
The weather, of all things.
That was the sort of topic you talked
to your parents about or even complete strangers.

Lucy
spread out the sample of paint colors she’d picked up. She’d always been one to
play it safe and chosen off-white or beige for her townhouse, but somehow she
saw Liam being a bit of a risk taker.
 
Blue maybe?

She
put her face up to the sun and let it warm her cheeks. She was feeling so relaxed
and her leg was even starting to cease its aching. She put a little pressure on
it but the shooting pain she’d had in her calf didn’t materialize. She looked
around her. She liked this place. Maybe one day when things had all gotten back
to normal she’d come back here for a proper vacation, perhaps bring Mike and
his kids to see where she’d chosen to hide out. To meet Liam so they could see
who’d saved her on the most terrifying night of her life.

Which
reminded her, she’d give him a call from a public call box, which she knew
wouldn’t be traceable at his end. She stood and decided to try walking with
just the help of one crutch. This was easier and her leg felt good.

Everyone
seemed friendly, giving smiles, nods of the head, and one or two hellos as she
walked by other shoppers. She arrived at the phone, sorted out some change and
then dialed her brother’s number. She heard it ring, heard it continue to ring
and then looked at her watch, finally hearing his answering service kick in.

Should
she leave a message? No, instinct told her not to...

Lucy
put the receiver back. Next on her list of things to do was find a suitable
dress.

****

Liam
splashed aftershave on his cheeks right before heading out of the bathroom. He
glanced at his watch. He was running late and had about fifteen minutes to get
to Big Sky Bar on the outskirts of town, where Bear’s bachelor party was being
held.

Lucy
had turned the TV on, and was skimming through some magazines she’d bought
while she’d been in town. He’d tried to avoid her without it being obvious or
seeming suddenly rude but after seeing her naked things had become very
awkward. He really wanted her but knew the rules. No anyone else’s rules but
his and only his, so the sexual tension he now felt was taunting him–– almost
to the point of being unbearable.

“I’m
just heading out. You sure you’ll be okay here?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

“And
if you hear my truck or see headlights near the apartment, you’ll know it’s me
getting in late, so don’t be scared.”

“Have
a fun time.”

He
was intending to. He was going to have sex to forget about that wonderful
human
body he’d seen earlier that day.
Liam was certain Ash had invited along some shifter women to keep the guys
entertained. He’d have a good fuck, get it out of his system and he and Lucy
would be back to normal again.

Liam
headed out outside and got into his truck. He started the ignition, pulled out
onto the road and headed out to the north. He’d never been to this bar before and
Bear had told him Ash had hired a private room out back so they could party
without humans watching them.

Fifteen
minutes later he saw the bar, its neon sign flashing, and pulled into the
parking lot. He recognized a few of the other guys’ cars and wondered how many
other shifters Bear’s cousin had invited tonight. Bear had been away from
Kalispell while he’d studied medicine and then began working in a hospital in
Vancouver, but was still one of the most popular guys around, with both the men
and women. Lots of ladies were heartbroken when they heard about his engagement
to Hannah. Now their focus was on his equally handsome cousin.

Liam
walked in to the bar and saw a sign with
Bear’s
Last Chance To Back Out Party
and an arrow that pointed to the back. Two
guys were playing guitars in the bar and a few couples were dancing.

 
As Liam walked to the back, the sound of
guitars was soon replaced with loud voices and laughter. Liam spotted Bear
talking to Aiden and Trent Burgress.

“Glad
you could come along tonight,” said Bear. “Have you met my cousin?”

“No,
I don’t believe I have,” said Liam.

“Ash,”
called Bear. A man about five years younger than Bear but similar in looks and
build walked their way.

“Ash,
this is Liam Ahern. Liam, this is Ash McWilliams.”

“Pleased
to meet you. Grab a drink and some food, mingle a little, and then be prepared
for our floor show.”

Bear
raised his eyebrows at Liam before shaking his head. Rumor was, Ash was a wild
one.

“How’s
Lucy’s leg?” asked Bear.

“Much
better. She’s down to using just one crutch.”

“Bear,
over here … let’s get some photos of you and Ash,” shouted one of the cougar
shifters.

Liam
took the opportunity to head over to the bar. He took a handful of pretzels and
pulled out a beer from the ice in the bucket on the floor.

“I
hear you were quite the hero the other night.”

He
turned to see Dane Reynolds standing with Trent.

“Well,
I guess that’s how it looks,” said Liam.

“I
heard that some trucker tried to rape the woman you picked up. Has she filed a
report with the police?” asked Trent.

“No,
she didn’t want to make a fuss.”

“I’d
like to get my hands on that guy,” said Dane.

“I
think we all would,” said Liam.

“And
she’s staying at your place?” asked Dane.

“Danny’s
old apartment. She’s an interior designer and said she’d give it a makeover.”

Trent
whistled.

“Yeah,
I might even rent it out. I realize now I’ve been stupid keeping the place
locked up for so long. Danny’s never coming back.”

Both
Dane and Trent put their hands on his shoulders and squeezed.

“I
know how tough it is. After I lost Lucinda, well, the world wasn’t the same for
a long time until I met Melanie.”

“And
how’s Jacob?” asked Trent.

“I’m
pretty sure he’s growing by the minute. Keeps us up most of the ni––maybe I
shouldn’t have said that.”

“Yeah,
I know what we’ve got to expect with three babies on the way,” said Trent.

Liam
didn’t know whether to pity Trent and his wife Emily, or be excited for them.

“Okay,
gentlemen … if you’d like to take your drinks into the next room, to our left …
our entertainment for the evening begins shortly,” said Ash, standing on a
chair.

“I
can only begin to imagine what’s in store for us,” said Dane. “I have been
warned by my wife to behave myself.”

Liam
followed Trent and Dane into a darkly light room. They sat down at a table and
music began playing. Next thing Liam knew, three young women in skimpy outfits were
heading out of a side room, gyrating their way toward the guys.

“Bear,
this is your last night of total freedom and fun,” said Ash raising his glass.
“Let’s toast the most handsome and sexiest doctor in town.”

“To
Bear,” said Liam, lifting his glass in his direction.

“Okay,
ladies. Entertain us,” said Ash, sitting down next to Bear.

The
three women began dancing around and shaking their hips. Liam put his nose in
the air. Fuck, Ash had hired humans.

They
made their way over to Bear and the one with long blonde hair sat on his lap
and wiggled about.

“This
is your last chance to mess around with a woman who isn’t your wife,” she told
him.

“No,
no messing around, because I have a beautiful fiancé waiting at home. So I
think I’ll just watch all the single guys do that,” said Bear.

“Geez,
Bear … you are and always have been such a stick in the mud,” said Ash. “Come
here, baby, and I’ll show him what he’s missing.”

The
blonde switched to Ash’s lap while the other two started to slowly take off the
few clothes they were wearing. Lots of the guys clapped and cheered. Ash now
had his hand down the front of the girl’s panties as she groaned and cried out.
Even though it was dimly lit in the room, Liam could see Bear looking somewhat embarrassed
by his cousin’s behavior.

“Ash
reminds me a little bit of Christopher Renner before he met Lilly,” whispered
Trent.

It
was true: Christopher had been, at one time, even wilder than Danny when it came
to women––and now he was a happily married man with a stepdaughter. Would
Hannah have reformed his brother too?
 

One
of the girls suddenly stood in front of Liam as she removed her top.

Nice tits, but
not half as nice as Lucy’s.

He
was supposed to be enjoying the bachelor party but all he could think about was
Lucy.
 
The woman took off her panties and
sat on his lap. She ran her hands through his hair and kissed him on the cheek.
He was getting a little hard but nothing like he had with Lucy.

Ash
and the other two women were now dancing on the floor, gyrating together as Ash
ground his crotch into their asses.

“You
want to dance too?” the woman asked Liam.

“I
have two left feet.”

She
put her hand on his crotch and squeezed. Yeah, that felt good, felt even better
when he fantasized that Lucy had her hands on his balls.

“I
have a girlfriend,” said Liam.

“Lucky
her.”

“No,
I mean I can look, but I can’t touch.”

A perfect excuse
not to get involved with the humans
.

“I’m
getting paid to let you touch me.”
 
She
kissed him, biting his lip and then taking his hand and running his fingers
down into her folds. One of his fingers brushed her pussy. No, no, if he were going
to touch any human it would be Lucy.

Liam
pushed her off, almost knocking her onto the floor.

“Asshole,”
she said, picking herself up.

Yeah,
he’d been called that more times than he cared to remember.

Liam
drank the rest of the beer. This wasn’t as much fun as he’d thought. However,
he didn’t want them to think ‘grumpy Liam’ was back, so he tapped his foot to
the music as more of the guys got up and danced around with the now nude women.

He
felt someone pat him on the back and turned around to see Aiden.

“Hey,
you’re single … you should be up there, not sitting with all the married guys,”
he said.

“You
know me, never could dance. Not like Danny.”

“Yeah,
Danny was a great dancer. Ever since he was a kid,” said Aiden, now having to
shout over the noise of the music.

“You
still have your house guest?”

“Lucy,
yes.”

Christopher
walked over to them and sat down. “Are you bringing Sam to the stargazing event
next month?”

“Sure
am,” said Liam.

“Lilly
and I have decided to take Kaitlin for the first time so I know those two will
enjoy one another’s company. We’re gradually explaining to her what we are and
how she and her mom are different,” said Christopher.