Authors: Harmony Raines
“And this is where I belong?”
“If you want it to be. If you want me to move in with you, I’ll sell the ranch. You are the most important thing in my life. I hope one day you will feel it too. Maybe it’s different for bears.”
“No. No, it’s not. And I don’t want you to sell. This would be a perfect place to raise our kids.” She took a deep breath and pulled away from him. “You might want to stand back.”
As if he read her mind, he took a step back, putting himself in the corner. As a precaution, he took Minty with him. She smiled; he was thoughtful towards horses, at least. Then her nerves kicked in and she had to calm herself down. Patiently, she brought the picture of her horse into her mind. Long mane, beautiful black coat, and a tail that flicked impatiently. Taking an imaginary step forward, she entered the image, her world changing as she flickered out of it for an instant.
Growing taller, her body expanding, she came back to this world, waiting whilst everything came together. Then she stood, tall and proud, her black coat gleaming. Swishing her tail, she flicked her head, the sense of power threading through her veins. The thrill of being her other self, here in front of him, was immense; he looked at her with something akin to awe, and she liked that. She liked it a lot. But she had work to do.
Calling softly to a stunned Minty, she lowered her head to smell him. Working her way along his body, she eventually encouraged him to talk to her. Snuffles and whinnies, he turned and nuzzled her and she felt his pain. Sapphire was right, he was poorly; she spent some time grooming with him and he turned and returned the favour, the two horses licking and nuzzling each other. She had always enjoyed this part of being with the herd; it had always made them closer to each other, more understanding.
When Minty had had enough, she blew softly at him, and once again tried to ascertain the problem. The feedback was the same, and she had to take it that was what was wrong with Minty. Luckily, she thought she could treat him.
Saying goodbye to him, she pictured her human form and then stepped into it, feeling the familiar buzz of electricity all around her. Quickly, she changed, and was standing looking thoughtfully at Minty within a few seconds.
“Anything?” he asked, concerned.
“Yes.” She reached for her bag. “I’ll give him some anti-inflammatory drugs for now. Then tomorrow I’ll bring out the drugs he needs.”
“So he’s treatable?” Ryan asked.
“Yes, in the short term. In his old home, he ate something he shouldn’t have. It made him feel ill, but it went unnoticed. It has never really left his system.” She filled a syringe with the drug. Minty stood still while she injected him. Afterwards, he turned and nuzzled her. “Oh, yes. He wanted to thank you for looking after him. And for rescuing Sapphire.” She smiled, but said nothing else.
“What?” Ryan asked, sensing the hidden joke.
“Nothing. They just … they think you are very kind. And that even for a bear you would make a good mate.” She smiled again. “Minty and Sapphire agree you make good breeding stock.”
“Great. I am being assessed by two horses.”
“Three,” she said grinning, feeling a whole lot better about everything.
“And how do you judge me, Ciara?”
“You’ll do,” she said, putting everything away and then closing her bag. Standing up, she smiled once more. “Let’s go and eat. Your cooking might just be the deal-clincher.”
He rolled his eyes. “Right, so my performance in other areas wasn’t enough!”
She went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I think if we have a replay, then I might be persuaded.”
“Fuck, Ciara. Can we skip the food and go straight to bed?”
“No,” she said, kissing him. “I need some food or I won’t be able to keep up with you. My mom thinks I’m lucky because bears have quite the reputation in bed. Plenty of stamina, she said.”
“Great. So, sex and food.” However, she saw the twinkle in his eye; he looked relieved that everything seemed to be working out for the best.
“What else is there that a man has to be good at?” she asked lightly.
“Nothing,” he said. Then he stopped and turned to her. “Except loyalty and understanding, Ciara.”
“Ah, and those are by far the best qualities.” She slipped her hand into his, patted Minty, who was busily munching his hay, and walked with him back to his house.
“I made lasagna, because it would keep while we went to see Minty. I hope you like it?” He kissed the back of her hand as they entered the ranch house, sending shivers down her spine, threatening to make her change her mind about food. But her stomach rumbled, and she knew she had to eat. Today had been long and emotionally draining. Food would perk her up and give her the energy for what she hoped lay ahead.
“It smells delicious,” she said, following him into the warm kitchen. There was a range, this was where the smell was emanating from, and on top of it sat a cat. “You are a proper Doctor Dolittle, aren’t you?”
He stroked the cat and made it get down off the range. “They just seem to turn up. But I can’t talk to them like you do.”
He began to clatter around, pulling out plates and knives and forks and setting them on the scrubbed kitchen table. Ciara made her way around the kitchen looking at the photographs, horses, dogs, people, all jumbled up. She smiled at the photographs of six little boys up a tree.
“Your brothers?” she asked, taking it down and looking at it closely. It was old, a lot older than Ryan looked, so bears aged slower too. She hadn’t thought of that before, but now she was glad. It would have been hell to live with him for a short normal human lifetime. Now she was happy to be looking forward to many decades with him.
“Yes. It was from before we moved to Bear Bluff. We were always getting into scrapes; eventually my mom and dad decided they needed to find somewhere where six boys could run free. Although we were older by the time they found Bear Bluff. But we all still like to run free.”
“Do your brothers still live here?” She placed the photograph back on the shelf and then moved towards the table, lured by the smell.
“All except two. Taylor is in Bear Creek; he lives with his mate over there. And Logan, he moved back to the city, but he comes back here for his fix of mountain air every weekend. He went into finance, so it makes sense, but I don’t know how he does it. And he will always be a Bear Bluff bear.”
“That looks wonderful. Is there anything you need me to do?”
“Sit down and eat,” he said, pulling out a chair for her. “Wine?”
“I’m driving.”
“One glass. Or more, I assumed you would be staying the night.”
“One glass. I wasn’t sure about staying, because we’ve only just met. I mean, isn’t it strange that we’re suddenly expected to like each other without getting to know each other?”
“The whole thing is strange, Ciara. But I don’t think we’ll ever really get to know each other unless we spend lots of time together.” He poured the wine and then sat down opposite her. “I hope you enjoy your meal and that I at least pass this part of the test.”
She forked some of the food into her mouth. “Mmmm, I think you might. This is wonderful.”
“Oh, almost forgot. Garlic bread.” He opened the door of the oven; she hadn’t thought her mouth could water any more than it already was, but she was wrong.
“Homemade. Impressive.” She took a piece when he offered her some. Biting into it, she thought she was in heaven. And when she looked up and caught his eyes watching her, she was certain he was thinking the same thing.
“So you think you can fix Minty?” he asked, starting to eat too.
“I’m not sure if fix is the right word, but I can prolong his life for a while.”
“That bad?” he asked, pausing, fork halfway to his mouth.
“The damage is done. But if we can get rid of the toxins, he should live to a ripe old age. We’re just going to have to keep a special eye on him.”
It was her turn to pause; in that one sentence, she was committing herself to a life with him, here on his ranch. Whether that meant she gave up her career like her mom did or not, remained to be seen.
She lifted her glass. “To a new future. A new life.”
He touched her glass with his own and smiled, not one filled with joy and happiness, although that was there too. Instead, he looked relieved, his shoulders lifting and his eyes a little misty. Ciara’s heart swelled; she could see how much he had grown to love her, even in the short space of time they had known each other. As he cleared his throat, she had no further doubts about her rancher.
“To us,” he said. “Thank you, Ciara.”
“For what?” she asked. “I would have treated Sapphire and Minty no matter what.”
“I know. And I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about you. Giving us a chance.”
“It’s not entirely without selfishness.” She took another bite of the garlic bread and then said, “I think you would make the perfect househusband.”
He laughed. “If that’s how it has to be. Then I will embrace it fully.”
Ciara hurried to finish her food. She couldn’t wait for him to embrace her fully, in a more physical way. And as she ate, she realised that the weight had gone from her too. The heavy feeling in her chest that has seemed to suffocate her at times was gone. Replaced by a sense of belonging. For whatever reasons, she had left her old home, but now she had found a new one. A place where she could be happy, and fulfilled. In whatever guise that was. She didn’t have to make the choice now. All she had to do was be open to herself and her needs. But also, to what
they
needed as bonded mates.
They had eaten the meal he had cooked, and now they were doing the dishes together. An easiness had settled over them, as if they had been together forever. It was hard to stop himself grinning when he thought of how she had accepted him and the bond between them despite all her reservations.
Now he wanted to get everything tidy and take her to bed. Hell, he wouldn’t have minded skipping the dishes and taking her to bed right now. But he tried to play down the strength of his feelings; he was still scared he might send her running for the hills. Now, that was something he might want to see. His mate, a solid black horse, galloping in the moonlight. His bear stirred.
Later.
Yes, maybe later they could head up the mountain, horse and bear. What a strange sight that would be.
“I think we are finished.” She stood looking at him, her eyes shining with happiness.
“So what do you want to do now? I could show you around the ranch.” Why did he suddenly feel nervous?
“I think there is only one room I really want to see right now. And it’s the only one I’ve already been in.” She took the dishcloth from him, and took his hand in hers. Then she stood on tiptoes and kissed him.
With a groan, he leaned down and scooped her up, kissing her as he carried her up the narrow stairs to his bedroom. Before he had set her on the bed, her hands were undoing the buttons of his shirt, and then he was helping her, dragging it over his head and throwing it aside. While her hands stroked his chest, he began to remove her clothes as quickly as he possibly could. He wanted her under him; he wanted to be inside her.
Giggling as he wrestled her jeans off, she lay back on his bed and let him pull them down over her feet. It was the most amazing sight to him, her jet-black hair strewn across his sheets, her pale skin slowly revealed as he removed her clothes. He loved her curves, and right now, as he unclasped her bra, he was going to enjoy her wonderful, voluptuous breasts.
He hovered over her naked body, lightly kissing her, making her squirm in anticipation. He kissed her soft belly, and worked his way higher until he claimed the taut bud of her nipple, the tip of his tongue tracing around it and then his warm mouth sucking it in. Rolling his tongue over the hard bud, he felt her tremble beneath him.
If this made her tremble, what would happen if he tasted her more intimately? He wanted to find out. He also wanted the taste of his mate on his tongue. And so, he moved lower. Kissing her stomach, down across her thighs, using his hands to part her legs. He breathed in the scent of her arousal. His bear roaring in appreciation.
Then he dipped his head and pressed his tongue into her moist hot sex, hearing her whimper in need, and he thought he would explode with desire.
Drawing his tongue up over her clit, he played with her, teasing her. Making her writhe beneath the onslaught, the sensation too much for her. But he placed his hands on her knees, and wouldn’t let her clamp her legs shut. Not until he had had his fill and she had reached a climax she would never forget.
In and out, he pressed his tongue, then he drew it up to flick her clit. A steady rhythm brought her higher and higher. She cried out, a wounded animal beneath him. But he knew he would never hurt her and it was pure pleasure that made her plead with him. She needed to come, needed the release. And he gave it to her, her warm juices flowing, tasting sweeter than honey on his tongue.
She fisted his hair, trying to drag him away and keep him in place all at the same time. The room spun around her and she thought she was floating with the stars as her orgasm finally hit her. The force of it took her breath away, leaving her sobbing with relief. Ryan never let up, taking everything she had, even when she begged him to stop. He could read her body, and kept the pressure on until her orgasm reached its shuddering climax and then left her.
When it had passed, she was left exhausted and drained. Ryan gave her time to recover, kissing her thighs, down to her knees, finding that place behind them which made her desire unfurl once more. How could she want him so soon? But she did.
“Make love to me,” she said, when he moved to lie next to her.
“With pleasure,” he said, smiling and kissing her as he moved between her thighs.
There, he guided himself inside her. Pressing against her outer lips and then thrusting hard to enter her. She gasped as he filled her, one long lunge to fill her completely. He lay still, letting her adjust to his wide girth, his mouth on hers as he kissed her passionately. Then he pulled back, thrusting his hips forward once more, in and out, empty and full. He took her.