Stolen By Her Bear by Felicity Heaton
Chapter 20
When Saint growled low, Holly was deeply aware that if he gave her this present, it wouldn’t end there.
And part of her didn’t want it to.
The rest of her was nervous, had been on edge from the moment she had accidentally revealed that her experience with males was a soul-crushing zero. She had tried to put it to the back of her mind when Ivy had pulled her into the marquee, had done her best to conquer her nerves as she had talked with the brothers and their females, and had even danced with Rath.
But the whole time, she had been aware of Saint’s gaze on her. A need had steadily built inside her, a desire to go to him that had only increased whenever she had glanced his way and found females looking at him too. When the urge to bloody her claws had grown too powerful, she had even growled and bared fangs at one of them. Rath had chuckled and apologised for her, ever the alpha, and had ushered her towards the door, telling her to go to where her heart really wanted to be.
She had watched Saint walking away from Knox, drifting away from the crowds, heading towards the edge of the illuminated area of the sloping clearing, and had realised that deep in her heart, he was where she wanted to be. She wanted to be talking to him, snuggled close to him, bathing in his rare smiles and savouring the way he looked at her from time to time.
As if she was the only female in the world.
She wanted to feel the warmth of his skin under her palms.
Wanted to kiss him again.
Needed so much more than that.
“Holly,” he husked and the slight tremble to her name gave away his nerves.
She reached up, took hold of his black shirt near the collar and tugged him down to her. He didn’t hesitate to kiss her then, captured her mouth in a searing kiss that instantly inflamed her, had her heart racing and blood heating. She moaned, couldn’t hold it back as his tongue stroked the seam of her lips and she opened for him, as he invaded her mouth and stripped away all her defences.
Saint’s answering groan sent a thrill chasing through her, had her pressing closer, desperate for more, hungry to rip another low rumbling moan from him. She liked hearing his pleasure, loved how it stoked her own. She skimmed her hands up his neck, caught his nape, and deepened the kiss, growing bolder as his lips danced against hers, as he gathered her into his arms and pinned her against him.
The fire burning up her veins sparked hotter, an inferno that turned her reservations to ashes and unleashed her, freeing her of her inhibitions as it vanquished the nerves that had been plaguing her from the moment she had revealed she was untouched.
Holly tightened her grip on his nape, pressed her short claws in and growled against his mouth, the low feral snarl startling her a little as it pealed from her lips. She trembled as Saint growled back at her, as his fingers dug into her hips and she felt the command in that wicked snarl. The urge to dominate him rose swiftly, had her kissing him harder, attempting to push him into submission.
Saint didn’t back down.
Electricity arced along her every nerve ending when he swept her up into his arms, tucking his left one beneath her backside and holding her on that side, away from his injured shoulder. She shivered as he gripped her nape with his right hand, as he seized control of the kiss.
Moaned as he started walking with her.
Her instincts fired, the most primal of them taking command, ripping control from her as she kissed and nipped at Saint’s lips. She pushed his left shoulder, used some of her strength on him, feigning an attempt to break free of his grip, to escape him. He snarled against her mouth and held her tighter, crushing her against him, and she quivered at the feel of how strong he was. That display of strength tamed the wild part of her, had her purring as she kissed him.
She tangled her fingers in his dark hair and pulled his head back, savouring his growl of displeasure as she wrenched her mouth free of his. He frowned up at her, his dark eyes mesmerising her, holding her captive as she stared down at him. Holly wriggled against him, on fire for this male, fighting the instinct to push him harder, to make him lose control too.
When they reached the treeline, she dropped her head and claimed his mouth, swallowed his groan as she kissed him, teasing his tongue with hers.
A grunt burst from her lips as her back hit the trunk of a lodgepole pine. Saint grunted too, barely maintaining his footing, and then chuckled low as he breathed against her lips.
“Maybe we should stop kissing until we get to my cabin.”
His cabin?
No. She wriggled, squirming in his arms, every instinct she possessed snarling at the thought of having to wait that long. It was too far.
She looked around them, realising that they had only just passed Ember’s cabin. She wouldn’t make it to Saint’s home. She would explode before she reached it, felt too tight with need already.
He growled when she shoved his left shoulder, putting all her strength behind it this time, and twisted free of his grip. She grinned as her feet hit the ground, as she pirouetted away from him and evaded him as he reached for her. She lifted her green dress and began running.
For Cobalt’s cabin.
The roar that cut through the still night air behind her sent a thousand chills skating over her skin, had her biting her lip as a fresh rush of arousal blasted through her. She breathed hard as she ran, her senses fixed behind her, that thrill growing stronger as she felt Saint chasing her.
And closing in.
Holly ducked around a tree, felt a little bad as Saint hit it and grunted, but thrilled too as he growled and kicked off, running harder. Chasing her. Gods, just the thought of him catching her had her close to the edge, on the verge of coming undone. She refused to slow though, obeyed her instincts as they pushed her to run faster.
To make Saint work harder to catch her.
Ahead of her, the trees thinned, and she spotted the raised L-shaped cabin. The moon cast silver light over it, making it as clear as day to her, and she set her sights on the steps that led up to the deck, determined to reach them before Saint reached her.
The cold snow numbed her feet and made it harder to run as she broke out into the clearing.
Saint didn’t seem to have that problem.
She shrieked as he caught her from behind, twisted her and slammed her back into one of the thick posts that supported the front of the roof. A moan rolled up her throat as he claimed his prize, seizing her mouth in a hard, bruising kiss.
She wrestled her dress up, freeing her legs, and wrapped them around his waist and her arms around his neck as she kissed him. He groaned and pressed between her thighs, sending another thrill chasing through her as his body met hers and her thoughts spiralled, becoming a frantic blur of things she wanted to do to him, and things she wanted him to do to her.
Saint clutched her backside, ripping another moan from her, and pinned her to him, pressing the hardness in his jeans against her as he moved with her.
She groaned as he mounted the steps, as he kicked the door open and carried her inside. The heat of the fire washed over her, but it couldn’t compete with the flames that licked through her veins as she kissed Saint, as he kicked the door closed behind them and walked with her.
Not towards the bedroom.
She broke the kiss, intending to guide him towards it, but could only groan as he laid her down in front of the stone fireplace, settling her on the thick fur. Her heart thundered as he released her and drew back, as he supported his weight on his left arm and gazed down at her, hunger darkening his eyes.
“Your shoulder.” She lifted her hand and feathered her fingers over his right shoulder, careful not to apply any pressure in case she hurt him.
He didn’t take his eyes off hers. “It’s fine. Not sure I can feel pain when I’m with you. Can’t feel anything but this… need.”
She felt the same way. Her head was foggy with desire, her body trembling with an ache for him to caress it, and she felt sure she would go mad if he didn’t kiss her again soon.
“I need you, Holly,” he rumbled and his eyebrows pinched, his nostrils flaring as he looked her over, setting her on fire with the heat of his gaze. His eyes lifted back to lock with hers. “But we’ll take things slow… Whatever you want to do is fine by me. I don’t want to pressure—”
Holly seized his nape and pulled him down to her, kissed him hard to silence him because what she wanted was to satisfy this hunger he had ignited in her, to ease it before it drove her crazy. She didn’t want slow. She didn’t want to pace herself at all. She wanted him. All of him. Nothing held back.
And she wanted that forever.
Felt sure of it as she kissed him, as he settled his weight on her and kissed her back, his lips soft against hers as he slowed the kiss, apparently determined not to rush her. While she appreciated it in a way, she also wanted to scream.
She had waited too long for a male like Saint, had honestly believed she would never feel this, would never find him, and that she would spend the whole of her life alone.
Now everything she wanted was right here in her arms, within her reach.
And she was taking it.
Taking him.
She pressed her hand to his chest, careful to avoid his injury, and pushed, caught him off guard so he couldn’t resist her. He grunted as he rolled, as she followed him and ended up on top of him, astride his hips. She planted her hands to his chest as he stared up at her, shock rippling across his handsome face.
“I don’t want to wait.” She attacked the buttons of his shirt, almost growling when a few of them gave her trouble as her fingers shook, the thought of touching Saint making her a little giddy.
Saint relaxed into the fur, didn’t fight her as she worked her way downwards, as she slowly parted his shirt with each button she undid. She stared at that V of muscles she exposed, growing hotter with every inch of him she revealed, and bit her lip and groaned when she finally undid the last button and his shirt fell open.
“Gods, you’re glorious,” she breathed.
Saint chuckled softly.
She turned it into a groan by planting her palms against the broad, hard slabs of his pectorals and stroking her fingers over them. The short dark hairs that covered them tickled her as she explored him, her pace more leisurely now that she had what she wanted.
Him—almost naked.
The sight of him was too good to rush though, and so was the way he reacted as she ventured lower, as she teased the ropes of his stomach and found a dark treasure trail she wanted to follow. He groaned and lifted his head off the furs, his brown eyes gaining a gold glow as they tracked her hands.
“Holly,” he murmured.
She moaned at the way he said her name, so passion-drenched and filled with need. She liked it. Was sure she would never tire of hearing him say it in that way, as if she was killing him, as if he would go mad too if she didn’t do something to give him relief soon.
Holly eased lower, moving to sit on his thighs.
Her hands met the waist of his jeans and she shivered as she brushed her palms along them, from his hips to just below his navel, and felt the hard outline of his erection. He groaned and tipped his hips up, pressing it into her hands. The calm that had come over her instantly dissipated and she ignored Saint’s chuckle as she tore at his jeans, flooded with a hunger to see all of him.
She gripped the waist of his jeans and pulled them down, silencing him as she revealed him.
Oh gods.
He was big, beautifully hard, and just the sight of him had her wild with a need to feel him inside her. Saint stilled right down to his breathing as she lifted her right hand and she could feel the heat of his gaze as he watched her lowering it. Her breath trembled from her as she stared at his rigid length, trying not to overthink what she was doing, because she didn’t want to be nervous.
She licked her lips, only realised what she had done when it tore a strained groan from Saint. Her heart leaped into her throat. She hadn’t meant to insinuate that she wanted to lick him, hadn’t really thought about it.
But now it was all she could think about.
She wanted to taste him.
She mustered her courage and dropped her fingers, shivered as she made contact with his rigid shaft.
Saint’s head dropped, hitting the floorboards hard, and she flicked a glance at him, lingered as she found him lying with his head tipped back, his neck corded and every muscle of his torso tensed as she touched him. Gods. She stared at him, entranced by all his strength as she stroked her fingers down his cock. He groaned and tensed further, his shaft kicking against her fingers.
Rather than startled, she felt empowered.
How would he react if she kissed him?
Licked?
Heat scalded her cheeks. Sucked him?
She wanted to find out. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had leaned over him and was running her tongue up the length of him. Saint arched to meet her, his big body shuddering, making her feel even more powerful. She explored him with her tongue, from root to crown, and wrapped her lips around him. Groaned. He was hot in her mouth, but silky smooth against her tongue as she laved him.
When her tongue swept over the blunt head of him, she tasted him, a drop of seed on her tongue that had a startling effect on her.
She growled, a fierce need to make him give her more rushing through her, making her grip him with her hand and suck him harder. He grunted and his left hand lowered, tangled in her hair as she moved her mouth on him, hungry for another taste.
“Holly.” Saint gripped her hair as that moan leaked from him, began moving her on him as he pumped his hips.
She growled and gripped them in both hands, pinned him and sucked him, forcing him to submit to her. The primal need to taste him grew stronger, had her snarling and resisting him as he tried to lift her head.
“Holly,” Saint said, his tone commanding, but gentle. “Let me go and I’ll give you what you need.”
Oh gods.
She trembled at the thought, was quick to release him and lift her head. Her gaze collided with his and her brow furrowed when she saw in it that he meant those words, that he could ease this wild need building inside her, one she feared was going to take control again.
Saint dropped his hand to her jaw, smoothed his palm across it as he held her gaze. She eased back as he sat up, kept looking into his eyes, seeing a promise in them, one that had her trusting him because she knew deep in her heart that he would come good on it. He would tame this wild, primal, and frightening part of her.
She only had to submit to him.
She breathed through the urge to growl that came over her as she thought that, tamped down the need to seize command of things again, and managed to get herself under control.
Saint reached for the shoulders of her satin dress, sending a tremble through her as he made contact, his thumbs brushing her bare skin. The satin sliding over her skin made her shiver, made her nipples pucker as Saint’s gaze fell to her breasts. She was hyper-aware of him as he leaned towards her, as he reached behind her to the zipper of her dress and lowered it, the sound loud in the thick air. A moan fell from her lips as he kissed her throat, licked close to her nape, and her eyes slipped shut as she leaned her head away from him, unable to resist the urge to give him better access to her neck.
His own moan joined hers as his bare chest brushed hers, as he finished lowering the zipper and eased back, taking hold of the shoulders of her dress again. It slipped down over her breasts, sending a thousand shivers cascading over her skin, and the heat of Saint’s gaze seared her as his eyes dropped to her chest.
He pulled her up onto her knees as he dropped his head, and she arched backwards as his lips brushed her left nipple, agonising heat shimmering over her skin from that point. Her dress pooled around her spread thighs, teasing her oversensitive flesh as Saint pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked it, rolled it between his teeth and had her pressing forwards, consumed by a need for more.
He gave it to her by lifting her dress, his hands burrowing beneath it to cup her backside. His fingers pressed into her flesh through her panties, parted her and dipped lower. She tensed and rose up on her knees, moaned as his fingers brushed between her plush petals.
“Gods,” Saint muttered darkly, moved to her other breast and sucked on it, harder this time as his fingers delved between her thighs, as he stroked them over her flesh. He broke away from her and kissed up her chest, murmuring huskily, “You’re so wet.”
She was. Was that a bad thing? She hoped it wasn’t, and then found she didn’t care when Saint tore her panties away, when he cupped and stroked her, found her bundle of nerves and sent her shooting into the stratosphere.
Her cheeks burned as she rocked against his fingers, unable to stop her hips from moving, a slave to the need building inside her. Saint only made it worse as he trailed a finger upwards from her nub to her sheath and pressed inside a little.
She growled, couldn’t hold it back as desire for something else filling her there flooded her. She didn’t want his finger. She tried to wriggle free, managed to get her hand between them and find his shaft. She gripped and stroked it, fever burning her up as she thought about it inside her. When she tried to move to make it happen, Saint stopped her, his grip on her hip too strong for her to win against him.
“I want this to feel good,” he husked against her throat, licked it and ripped a moan from her as his tongue flicked the lobe of her ear. “Need to get you ready. There’s no rush. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her primal instincts weren’t listening to him, or to her, had her restless even when he pressed a finger inside her and they tried to hijack control again. Pleasure built inside her as he pumped her slowly. When he added another finger, stretching her, the tension inside her eased again, her instincts to mount him and take him falling away, replaced by a desperate need for more.
She moaned and kissed him, stroked his length as she thought about him inside her, as he filled her with his fingers.
She was close, balancing on the precipice, just needed another push.
She growled when Saint denied her, when he withdrew his fingers and removed her hand from him, but it faded into nothing as he pulled her dress up and discarded it. Calm washed through her as he fisted his cock, as he clutched her backside and lifted her. She shuffled towards him, her eyes on his length, aching with a need to have it inside her.
She gripped his left shoulder as he raised her higher, as he pressed his hand to the small of her back to draw her closer and reached around her thigh to hold himself again. She shivered, moaned and closed her eyes as he brushed the blunt head through her folds. As he nudged inside.
When he tried to take it slow, she growled again. She didn’t want to draw this out. Her need of him was too painful, had her going out of her mind. She pressed back onto him, flinched a little as he stretched her and it stung, but the pleasure of him filling her was too intense for her to care. He groaned as she sank onto him, as she drew him into her heat. Her eyes opened, slowly widening as he claimed her backside and lifted her slightly before driving deeper into her.
Oh, she could get used to this.
He captured her mouth as he moved her on his cock, each delicious long stroke of it both satisfying her and maddening her. She rolled her hips, couldn’t stop herself from participating, began riding him when he groaned, showing her that he liked it.
Holly shuffled her feet forwards, trying not to dislodge him as she wriggled onto them. He leaned over her slightly as she moved on him, kissed him and gripped his shoulder, riding him hard. He groaned and growled, gripped her hips and pumped her harder, faster, but it still wasn’t enough. She wanted more. Needed more.
Sweat trickled down her spine, dampened her chest and made her stick to Saint as they moved together, their fast breaths mingling with each choppy kiss as they both reached for a release that wouldn’t come.
Why wouldn’t it come?
Her face screwed up, frustration rolling through her. That frustration only became fury as Saint pulled out of her, but it was gone in a heartbeat as he spun her away from him and brought her back down on his cock, spearing her from behind.
His breath fanned her nape as he clutched her thigh, holding her off him, and pumped her hard and fast, ripping a moan from her with each thrust. His other hand delved between her thighs and she cried out as he stroked and teased her, breathed harder as the need mounting inside her reached a crescendo but still refused to break.
Holly growled and reached over her head, clutched Saint’s nape and pulled him to her, clawed at him and scented blood. He growled, sending a thrill rushing through her, and she clawed again, on fire with a need only one thing could sate.
“You sure?” he muttered and licked her neck, had shivers chasing over her as she ached for him to go through with it, to give her what she wanted.
“Yes,” she cried as Saint drove into her, as he kissed her nape again.
“This is forever, Holly.”
Was he determined to make her mad at him?
The sensible part of her said he was only trying to give her an out, but the rest of her said to hell with it. This was what she wanted. Saint. Forever.
“Forever with the man I love?” She panted those words. “Think I can handle that.”
Saint stilled. Infuriating bear.
“Man you love?”
She growled and twisted, unable to wait another second. He fell forwards as she tried to move to face him, and she ended up on her back on the furs with him on top of her. He pressed his hand into the floor, holding himself off her, his dark eyes searching hers.
“You love me?” he whispered.
She nodded. “I love you.”
He smiled, warming her to her bones. “I love you too.”
But he still didn’t look as if he was going to bite her.
She was about to take matters into her own hands when he reared back, flipped her onto her front and filled her again in one hard thrust. She swayed forwards, groaned as he grabbed her and pulled her up to him, sitting again.
Cried out as his fangs plunged into her nape.
Pleasure detonated inside her, rolled through every inch of her to stun her as he thrust deep inside her, his length throbbing as he spilled, as she quivered and milked him. Bliss ebbed and flowed through her as he gently moved inside her, as he held her with his fangs, and it wasn’t only hers. It was his too. It curled through her together with his feelings, love that she could sense in him now.
When he finally released her and pulled out of her, she twisted to face him, settled herself astride his thighs and kissed him. The taste of her blood on his tongue ignited another fierce hunger, one she obeyed as she pushed up on her knees, as she caught his cheek and turned his head.
Sank her fangs into his nape.
He groaned and growled, and she moaned with him, the earthy taste of him on her tongue sending another fierce hit of pleasure rolling through her.
She forced herself to release him, eased back and stared into his eyes, catching the love shining in them as he gazed at her, as their bond slowly wove them together. Beautiful. Unbreakable.
“Love you,” he murmured, brushed his knuckles across her cheek and looked at her in a way she thought a male never would.
As if she was his entire world.
“Love you too.” She rewarded him with a kiss, one that warmed her all over and made her feel light inside.
She had come to Cougar Creek to escape being unable to find a male, and instead she had run into her mate.
A bear who had taken her captive, but in the end, she had been the one to steal something from him.
She had stolen his heart.
And now he was hers.
Forever.
The End
The Black Ridge Bears series will return in August with Rescued by her Bear. Pre-order your copy from http://www.felicityheaton.com/black-ridge-bears-shifter-romance-series.php
Thanks for reading!
If you've enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review to help other readers decide whether this is the book for them too.
Discover more about my paranormal romance books at: http://www.felicityheaton.com
Or sign up to my mailing list to receive a FREE vampire romance ebook, learn about new titles, be eligible for special subscriber-only giveaways, and read exclusive content including short stories: http://ml.felicityheaton.com/mailinglist
Read on for a preview of the next story in the highly addictive Black Ridge Bears shifter romance series, Rescued by her Bear
