Red's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) (15 page)

The cut on his finger had closed, but there was a small
scar that he knew would never go away. Even healed it throbbed, pulsed. Rena
had marked him. Whether she was aware of what she had done or not she’d just
started their life mate bond—two more bites remained.

Fisting her hair, he pressed her body to his and kissed
her, deep and unrestrained. Everything that had transpired between them until
this point was a prequel to the raw passion that awaited them.

When he broke the kiss, they were both panting. If he
could have, he would have driven them away with her still riding his lap, but a
glimmer of reason flashed in his mind. “We’re getting out of here, now.” He
wasn’t sure if his words had even come out as a language or a series of grunts
as he lifted her away from him.

Thankfully, Rena seemed to comprehend what he was
attempting to communicate, because she scrambled to her seat.

Barely seeing her safely in the passenger seat, he
pulled his keys out of his pocket and gunned the engine of his truck. He had to
flip on the defrost to clear the front window, which had fogged over completely
from the heat of their foreplay. Before his next breath he had the truck backed
up then shifted to drive and tore out the parking lot behind the hardware
store.

With the main road into town blocked off, he had to
take the back roads to his house, extending their drive by twelve minutes, but
he would do his damnedest to reduce it to five. He wanted his mate and time was
not his friend at the moment.

He drove like a madman. His vision was so golden, if
Sheriff Smokey knew he’d probably pull Cord over and give him a ticket for
driving while lustfully intoxicated. But the law man would have a chase on his
hands, because Cord didn’t plan to stop his truck until he’d reached his house
and he could have Rena on whatever place they got to first. Nothing but death
would keep him from fucking her, now.

Chapter
Eight

Rena’s heart was beating so hard she felt dizzy and
lightheaded. However, she didn’t feel like she was going to pass out, but full
of energy…and lust. That was the only word she could use to describe the
kaleidoscope of desire inside of her. It wasn’t pretty, or sweet or kind. It
was base and crude, giving her a tunneled vision with Cord at the end of her
sights. It was taking every ounce of her strength not to crawl back across the
seat and straddle him again. This time she’d pull his cock from his pants and
ride it hard.

Unable to stop herself, she stared at the deliciously
handsome man sitting beside her. His face was tight and his hands were fisting
the steering wheel so tight, she was surprised it didn’t bend. She didn’t have
to be told that his need for her was just as strong, she could feel it inside
her. She wasn’t sure how, but it was as if there was a part of him in her,
connecting them. She knew it didn’t make sense, but the impression was there
still the same.

She allowed her gaze to travel along those well-defined
muscles of his arms until she was eyeing the thick bulge beneath the fly of his
jeans.

“Rena, if you don’t stop staring at my dick, I’m going
to pull this truck over and fuck you on the hood.”

“You don’t hear me arguing against that idea do you?”

Cord slammed on the brake and the bed of the truck
fishtailed once before he brought it under control. She wasn’t sure what had
possessed her to bait a beast, but she couldn’t help it, she was feeling so
alive.

He pinned her with a hard gaze, a warning. His eyes
were liquid gold. She could barely see his pupils.

His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath before
refocusing on the path before them. He grunted, or growled or roared
indecipherable words as he pressed on the gas pedal again and shot them down
the road.

She smiled as she rolled her window down and enjoyed
the crisp fall breeze coming into the window. Catching the blurred view of the
tall, thick redwoods as their branches reached high in the sky she wanted to
get out of the truck and run through them. In forty-eight hours something had
changed in her.

Honey, fish and Cord, three things she believed she
shouldn’t have. Three things that weren’t good for her. However, they were the
three things that had awakened a hibernating animal inside her core. It was as
if she’d never truly lived until she’d arrived back in Den County.

Where has your life been headed all
this time, Rena.

Right here.

Just yesterday she’d been thinking that since she was
feeling better, she would be able to go home and get her old job back. She
peeped at Cord and knew that she’d need to do some serious re-evaluating of her
life.

Slowing the truck, barely, Cord turned onto a dirt
path. The driveway led to a cabin that was very different from her
grandmother’s. It was spread wider, taking up a larger area of the forest with
a second floor. The lawn around it was so well manicured and trimmed she would
have sworn someone cut it by hand with a pair of shears. Instead of a
wraparound porch like her grandmother’s, it was complimented by flagstone
walkways and patio. It was definitely all male. There wasn’t a single flower
around the home to make it ‘pretty.’ This was a breathtaking, but masculine
domain.

Screeching to a halt, Cord shut off the truck then
jumped out. At her door, he yanked it open. She thought he would take her hand
and help her out the vehicle but he stood back as if he were afraid to touch
her.

Sliding out of the big truck, she stood before him.

“My house is unlocked. My bedroom is upstairs. Wait for
me there. I suggest if there is any piece of clothing you’re wearing that you
don’t want ripped to shreds you remove it before I get there.”

The tension in his body was almost palpable. She
couldn’t help but notice the death grip he had on the passenger side door.

Figuring he needed a little space, and time, she gave
him a sharp nod then stepped around him, ensuring she didn’t brush against him.
Walking up the stone path, she didn’t allow herself to look back at him.

She didn’t want him to see the pleading look in her
eyes. Now that she was more than an arm’s reach away from Cord she could feel
the nervousness in her core. She wondered if he was second guessing being with
her. Things had gone so fast since the softball game. Maybe they were rushing
things.

The thought that she should go back to the truck and
ask him to take her back to her grandmother’s house, rose in her mind. However,
it was quickly overtaken by the need still bubbling in her core.

Not to mention the voice inside of her yelling ‘no’.

At the front door of the cabin, she turned the handle
and entered the dwelling. In his living room there was a long couch that sat
before a state-of-the-art flat screen SMART television including surround sound
equipment. Similar to her grandmother’s cabin, there were shelves filled with
more movies than a video store. Shutting the door behind her, she moved deeper
into the room and saw the two high back chairs that sat before his fireplace
and a chess set on a small table between them.

Not interested at the moment in touring the rest of the
house, she followed Cord’s directions and took the stairs to the second level—a
loft with a smaller couch and television was there with a second, smaller
fireplace. It overlooked the living room downstairs.

At the far end of the area was an archway. Beyond it
she could see a large bed, bigger than any king-size bed she’d ever seen. Four
adults could probably sleep comfortably in it without touching the person
beside them. Once she was in the room, she took in the cinnamon and emerald
decorations. There was a dresser with a mirror, plus a nightstand, but not many
other things to clutter the space. The only other door besides the bathroom was
the one that led to a patio with a breathtaking view of the woods.

Turning back to the bed, she found herself transfixed
by the painting on the wall above his bed. It was of a river that appeared to be
the one that ran through Den. However, the section of it that was captured in
the frame was a dock similar the one at the end of her grandmother’s property.

From the view of the artist, the dock seemed both
within reach yet too far away to truly touch. There was something about the
scene that tugged at her heart and made it ache. Then she noticed the signature
in the corner, Genma B. Her grandmother was the artist. Taking a deep breath,
she released the emotion and refocused on her task at hand. Even with the
momentary separation from Cord, she still wanted him.

Not really caring about her clothing, she removed them
mainly to prove to him how much she desired him. Tomorrow may bring a about a
conversation they needed to have about what all this meant, but tonight she
just wanted to feel.

~YH~

Cord felt like he was about to come out of his
skin—literally and figuratively. He didn’t want to send Rena away, but his bear
was too close to the surface. Cord feared that if he didn’t let him out it
would cause him to tear down his own house fucking Rena. Not that the human
male part of him saw that as an issue, he wanted her just as bad as his bear
wanted to mark her.

But, Cord needed to quell the madness just a little.
Moving to the back of his cabin, he shed his remaining clothes quickly and
shifted with a simple thought letting his bear free. For a moment his bear
paused and glanced at the door that led into his kitchen, but Cord nudged him
and sent him on his way.

No more than ten minutes later, he was back at his
home. Reclaiming his human form, he gathered his clothing and shoes and entered
the kitchen. Dropping the stuff in the laundry room, he moved through his
kitchen to get to the steps that would lead him to his room. To Rena.

Even though she’d only been in his house a short while,
her scent was already woven into the fabric of his home. The run had calmed him
some, but it had not removed the desire he had for her. Nothing could do that.

At the archway of his bedroom, he considered heading to
his shower first, removing some of the sweat covering his body and possibly
helping to balance him a little more.

“Every time I smell the woodsy scent of white fir and
nutmeg it brings the image of you to my mind…erotic, hot images of you that
will incite my blood and warm me from the core out.”

Her gaze had been fixed on something beyond the window
and he’d believed her unaware of his presence. However, it was a foolish
thought with her Were senses kicking into full gear. A bear shifter could
locate their mate anywhere. Rena had tagged him and that knowledge almost
brought him to his knees.

Inhaling deeply then exhaling, he observed her. His
mate. She was a beguiling beauty lounging nude in the center of his big bed.
Her thick, ebony curls were spread across his pillows. Passing the arch, he
allowed his gaze to travel lower on her body. Taking in the sight of places he
had touched in his truck but not seen.

Her high full breasts were drawn tight at the tips.
“Are you cold?”

Bringing her gaze around to him, she smiled, her eyes
still golden. “No.” The heat in her stare let him know that it was desire that
caused her nipples to tighten.

Continuing his perusal, he took in her narrow waist and
flared hips. Ready to take in the bare seat of her womanhood, something caught
his eye. Glancing to the right of her sex and resting above her hipbone he saw
a mark.

Catching his stare, she looked down. “My birthmark.
It’s a little odd shaped but it’s where I get my nickname, Red.”

Gazing at the mark that was as red as a ripe strawberry,
he didn’t find it weird, but
remarkable
. It was a small replica of a
bear paw. “Does everyone in your family have a similar marking?”

She shook her head. “Nope, just me.” Wrinkling her
nose, she peeped down at it again. “I knew a girl in college that had a
birthmark on her knee in the shape of a heart. I always thought it was better
than whatever this is supposed to be.”

Cord didn’t agree. Raising his gaze, he looked into her
eyes and he shook his head. “Yours is perfect. In some way it’s a symbol of who
you really are.”

Laughing, she said, “I’m not sure how something that
looks like the Hawaiian Islands can mean anything, but okay.”

Standing, at the foot of the bed, he beckoned her to
him with a finger. “Come here,
Red
, and I’ll do my best to show you
before the sun rises tomorrow.”

“Hmm.” She rose to her knees and moved down the bed to
him. “I’m more than willing to let you show me whatever you like, tonight.”

“Later, I will remind you of your words.” He winked at
her.

Leaning down, he kissed the red mark then swirled his
tongue over the imprint, tracing it. Once he was sufficiently satisfied that
he’d covered all of it, he dragged his tongue up her side, which he discovered
was a tickle spot for her. Continuing on, he tasted the underside of her breast
and traveled around it until he got to her nipple. Placing a kiss there, he
moved upwards along her collar bone and neck until he got to her mouth.

Without touching her anywhere else, he kissed her.
Reacquainting himself with her taste. It only took a moment for his lust to
resurface in full force as if he hadn’t just gone for a run to calm himself.