“Someone was shooting at us. They were using drones.”
“My car exploded.”
“It’s okay, babygirl. We got away. You’re safe now.”
I sag, suddenly exhausted. Teddy’s brow wrinkles as I let myself slide down to the ground and lean against a rock. “Someone’s trying to kill me. And you’re…Teddy—
you’re a bear.”
Teddy crouches in front of me, looking wary. “A werebear,” he corrects.
Werebear. A human who turns into a bear. An actual bear. Shaggy fur, cute little ears.
“OMG,” I whisper.
Teddy watches me closely. The sharp lines of his cheekbones, his blond brows and cropped hair, his wild beard–it’s all so human. He’s the same Teddy, a handsome, grouchy Viking.
But there’s a creature lurking inside. The bear part of him. It’s impossible, yet it’s real. I feel the truth of it inside of me. I think of all the bears I’ve seen since I met him, and it all makes sense. His brothers–all of them–they must be werebears, too.
His gaze drops to the ground, and he seems…sad.
Biting my lip, I rise to my knees and scoot closer to him. I reach out and let my hand hover between us, wanting to touch his face but not daring to.
“Are you okay?” I whisper. “Does it hurt? When you…”
“Change,” he supplies the word. “Or shift.” He shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”
I close the distance between us and cup his cheek with one hand. His skin is hot, feverish. It sears my palm but feels so good. He’s alive. This is real.
“Teddy,” I whisper. He presses into my palm, so I place my other hand on his opposite cheek and coax him forward. His scent hits me, pine and wild mint and a bit of smoke. Intoxicating like a shot of whiskey. “You saved me.” I rest my forehead against his, needing more of his skin on mine. More of his scent and his heat. My lips brush his, and he groans.
“Lana,” he says roughly and cups the back of my head, fisting a hand in my braids to pull me closer. And then we’re in a clinch, me in his lap, trying to wrap myself around him while he draws my head back and kisses me so hard his beard burns my skin.
He twists and pushes me to my back, rearing over me in all his naked glory.
I reach for him, wriggling out of my hiking pants. “Teddy.” I grab his shoulders, surging upward as I pull him close. My breasts are swollen, aching. I rub myself against him, trying to get relief. There are chafed patches all over my face, and I don’t care. I want his beard to scratch every inch of my skin. I want him to pull my braids until my scalp aches. Until I know we’re both alive.
Teddy
Lana sighs into my mouth. I try to put some space in between us, and her nails nip at my bare ass. “Easy, babygirl. Just makin’ sure you’re comfortable.”
“I need you in me now,” she huffs. She doesn’t seem overly shocked to discover I’m a bear. Nor does she have the scheming gleam Tiffany had. No, Lana just seems turned on.
Which makes resisting her impossible. I should be mourning the fact that she knows. That I will definitely have to mindwipe her now. Instead, all I can think about is sex.
I’m totally naked, and she’s halfway there. She’s lying on the ground with leaves caught on the crown of her head. I don’t even have a blanket or a coat to spread under her.
She growls at me, loud enough to impress any werebear. I settle for stripping off the plaid shirt of mine she borrowed from this morning. The fabric already smells like her–honey and laurel mingling with my scent. The best scent in the world.
She’s grabbing at me, greedy, and I catch both her small wrists with one hand, and cup the soft place between her legs with the other. The little murmur she makes me ache.
“I need to make you ready.” I dip two fingers into her sweet pussy, hooking them around to find her g-spot. “Fuck, babygirl, you’re dripping all over me.” Her juices slick my palm. “I want you to come for me.” I tweak her camisole down, baring her breasts. “Hands above your head,” I order. As soon as I release her wrists, she stretches her arms up, pinning her own hands in place as if I tied her there. Her back arches, and her breasts rise in a breathtaking display.
“You’re fucking perfect.” I reward her, caressing one breast and rubbing my thumb over her pert nipple while I finger fuck her. “You’re going to come, baby. Now. Come all over my hand. Let me feel you.”
Her hips judder, twisting as she works herself on my fingers. I pinch her nipple, and dart my head forward to soothe the hurt with my tongue. I scrape my beard along the crevice between her breasts, and she convulses, coming all over my hand.