Lucky Bear - Wild Bear 01 Read online

  She knew he could leave town tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that, but suddenly she didn’t care. No one stayed in Liberty, she’d learned that lesson the hard way, but she was older, wiser, and desperate to know what it felt like to be loved by a man his size.

  His eyes narrowed and she realized she’d taken too long to answer his question. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

  “Before you answer me, let’s get something straight,” he said. “I’ve been on the road for over a year looking for a place to settle down. I want you, my bear wants you, and I knew you were meant to be mine from the moment I first laid eyes on you. You’re sassy, smart, funny, feisty, hot-headed, stubborn and sexy as hell. I want to mark you, marry you, have cubs, and spend the rest of our lives together. The only thing that will make me leave Liberty is if you leave, and then I’ll go wherever you go. You’re mine, Belle.”

  God, she wanted to believe him. They were all the right words, even better than the ones she’d heard in the past, and except for the sexy part, he’d described her perfectly after only knowing her a week. It didn’t seem possible.

  “Fated mates don’t exist,” she whispered.

  “No,” he agreed, “but when a man knows what he wants, he’ll do anything to get it.”

  If she didn’t at least have lunch with him, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

  “Yes,” she croaked, and then cleared her throat. “Yes, you can take me to lunch now.”

  “Wise choice, love.”

  He placed a chaste kiss on her lips, and then jumped to his feet and held out his hand for her. He was more agile than expected of a man his size, especially one so recently close to losing control, and disappointment swamped her until she saw the outline of his thick, rock hard cock through his shorts.

  They walked back to the parking lot hand in hand, and then Lucky followed her to the restaurant she’d suggested. The hostess sat them at a table near the window, and when she saw their reflection staring back at her, she couldn’t deny the fact that they made a cute couple.

  If she were a beautiful woman, they’d be striking. His looks trumped hers by several thousand, and she knew he could do so much better. Her thoughts were confirmed when she asked about his name.

  “So…why Lucky?”

  “I grew a lot over the summer before my freshman year in high school, and suddenly I was popular. I still hung out with the same group of friends, but everywhere we went people either wanted to fight me or fu— seduce me. Those people usually had friends, which meant my friends would get lucky, too. Over the years, the name just stuck.”

  She nodded and looked out the window. She’d never be able to compete with all the beauty queens he’d bedded. If she did sleep with him, her unremarkable body and rusty seduction skills would drive him straight into the arms of every other woman in town.

  She glanced behind her and noted the distance to the exit. If she ran, would he chase her down or let her go and find someone else to take her place?

  “Don’t even think about it,” he said.

  “Think about what?” he asked, feigning innocence.

  “Running,” he said nonchalantly. “If you run, I will chase you and I will create a scene tackling you to the ground.”

  She gasped and then anger took over.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Try me.”

  Shit!

  He’d stayed level headed and called her bluff, and she believed him. She’d have to wait until the end of lunch to escape to her truck.

  “Fine,” she surrendered. “What’s your real name then?”

  “Finnegan Davis,” he said, beaming. “Now you’re the lucky one because I think you and my mom are the only two people who know, or remember, that. The rest of my family calls me Lucky, and when someone says my full name, they’re laughably confused.”

  She smiled in understanding, but his words still haunted her.

  Silence stretched between them and when the waitress brought their food, she breathed a sigh of relief. She focused on her burger, but he stared at her for a full minute before she noticed he hadn’t started eating.

  “Do I have something on my face?” she asked, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

  “No,” he said simply.

  “Then why are you staring at me?” she demanded.

  “Because I want your attention,” he said. “You do understand I don’t accept every offer of seduction that comes my way, right?”

  “Right,” she shrugged and nodded, looking back down at her plate. “Of course you don’t.”

  “I haven’t been with anyone in over a year, Belle.”

  She looked up at him, stunned.

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  For the first time since they’d met, she got him talking. He told her about his bloody high school days, his wild college years, his many years of solitude on the mountain, and his year of traveling the country. Though he’d been gainfully employed, he’d taken on many odd jobs over the years, including working as a bouncer in both out-of-control raves and local bars.

  By the end of their meal, she’d agreed to show him around Liberty, and to accompany him to the mall to buy sheets and towels. He’d also extended an offer of dinner, but she turned him down. Gabe had invited her earlier, and before she went any further, she wanted to know her cousin’s opinion about his friend.

  They took one truck from the restaurant, and after she showed him around town, they went to a popular home décor store in the mall. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d claimed to garner attention wherever he went, but he ignored most of it, seemingly with ease.

  She tried to follow his example, but she couldn’t disregard the looks completely.

  For the first time in her life, everyone wasn’t staring at the tall, plain, curvy girl. They were staring at the hot, sexy man on her arm, and it felt wonderful.

  Chapter Three

  Lucky looked down at the sheet he was folding and laughed.

  Dark green silhouettes of bear tracks, evergreen trees and something that looked more like a black bear than a grizzly made a pattern across a cream background. The pillow cases each had a bear silhouette in the middle with bear tracks along the openings.

  He hadn’t expected her to pick out something so rustic.

  When they’d visited the home store the day before, he’d told Belle to pick a set of sheets she liked for his bed. She’d originally declined, but he’d convinced her with a simple explanation. She would be the only woman to see them, and he wanted her to be happy.

  Though he hadn’t been stupid enough to think she’d pick something floral, he had anticipated something more sophisticated. When she’d showed him her choice, he’d initially thought she’d been joking. Fortunately, the look on her face stopped the sarcastic comment on the edge of his tongue, and he encouraged her to find a blanket to match.

  It turned out his mate had a thing for dark green.

  Convincing Belle to pick items for his apartment had been easier than he’d thought, and a couple of hours later, they left the store with four new pillows, the sheet set, extra pillowcases, a blanket, a set of kitchen towels with bears to match the sheets, and two sets of towels that included washcloths, hand towels, bath towels and bath sheets. The bath sheets were huge and he could actually wrap the material around his waist and tuck it in without exposing himself, something he’d never been able to do with other towels.

  After he’d driven her back to her truck, he’d gone back to the store and bought the same set of sheets in the next size up. The queen sized bed in the apartment was too small, and when he moved into his home, he planned on upgrading to a king size. He’d picked up the bigger sheets as a surprise.

  Though he didn’t want to scare her, they needed to discuss their future living arrangements tonight over dinner. He’d spent the morning looking at photos of homes for sale, and the realtor had tipped him off to a hou
se near the preserve not yet on the market.

  If she wanted it, they’d have to act fast.

  A quick glance at his watch told him he needed to hurry if he wanted to be on time to pick up Belle. He’d invited her to dinner after their shopping trip the previous day, but she’d already made plans with Gabe. His first response had been to kill his friend, but then he remembered the man was her cousin and she trusted him. Maybe Gabe would convince her to give him a real chance.

  He drove home, made up the bed, placed the towels in their respective rooms, and jumped in the shower. He’d been in a semi-hard state since he’d pushed Belle up against the wall a week ago, and finding her in her bear form had pushed him to the edge of sanity.

  When their bodies connected on the forest floor, he’d been on the verge of claiming her in every way possible. The fact that she encouraged, rather than fought, him had fueled the fire. The only reason he held back was because he wanted their first time to be private. Once they were mated, he’d have no problems taking her outdoors or anywhere else she wanted.

  The cold water did little to ease his desire, and he gave in and stroked his achy flesh. His hand moved up and down his hard rod, squeezing and stroking, searching for release. When he imagined Belle’s mouth sucking him deep, he came, her name loud on his lips.

  His relief lasted mere seconds before his body betrayed him, and he finished getting ready fully erect. Though he liked to think of himself as more human than animal, Belle brought out his wild side. He wanted to dominate and claim her, no questions asked, and remove every doubt in her mind about whether or not he would stick around and be the mate she needs.

  While driving to her house, he thought about her outfit from the day before.

  When they’d switched back into their human forms, he’d found Belle in a t-shirt and denim shorts. The outfit wasn’t much different from her work attire, except that he got to see her long, creamy white legs and thick, muscular thighs. The feel of her soft, exposed flesh wrapped around him was heaven and he never wanted to let her go. Her large breasts, soft tummy and round ass had occupied his thoughts every night, and he desperately wanted to see every inch of the real thing.

  He walked to her door, took a deep breath, and tried to rid his thoughts of licking, tasting, biting and fucking. It was a futile effort, and he felt silly standing outside her door like a stalker. He gave up thinking about anything other than holding his mate, and rang the doorbell.

  She opened the door and his heart froze.

  Belle had let her hair down, and the long, dark blond wavy strands glistened when they caught the light. She wore a black, cap-sleeved lacy top that gathered between her breasts, denim capris and black flip-flops with dark green sequins on the straps. He smiled when he noticed the subtle addition of color.

  She always looked beautiful to him, but tonight she looked absolutely stunning.

  He placed his hand on the nape of her neck and leaned forward to kiss her.

  “You look stunning,” he said.

  She grabbed his wrist with both hands and tried to whisper an objection.

  “You don’t have to—”

  He stopped her by pressing his mouth against hers. She tensed and then immediately relaxed, and he opened his mouth slightly and kissed her again, sucking lightly on her lower lip. She gasped and he slid his tongue inside her mouth.

  Belle tightened her grip on his wrist, but she didn’t pull away. He stepped closer, placed his other hand on her neck, and deepened the kiss. She tasted like mint and cherries and something unique to her alone. His tongue stroked against hers and his cock throbbed, aching to mimic his mouth. They met each other, stroke for stroke, and slowly explored. She let go of his wrist and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist, and when his dick pressed against her soft belly she moaned.

  He wanted to skip dinner, push her back inside her apartment and fuck her senseless, but he knew it would be a mistake. Belle needed to trust him before they moved to the next level, and he’d promised her dinner.

  He pulled away, and then kissed her again with his lips closed before he backed up a step. She whimpered at the loss of contact, and her glassy eyes were filled with love as she looked up at him, but it only lasted a moment. She reached for him as if she wanted to initiate another kiss, but then her hand fell to her side and she cleared her throat.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “We should go to dinner. Now.”

  Food was the farthest thing from his mind, but he’d needed the distraction. Kissing her before dinner had been a mistake and he felt his control slipping.

  “Okay…,” she said, obviously confused, “just let me get my purse and we can go.”

  She grabbed her purse from a small table by the door and they walked to his truck in silence.

  When he opened the passenger door for her, she furrowed her brow and stared at him for a full minute before she acquiesced and slid into the cab.

  He didn’t look at her once as he maneuvered the truck toward the restaurant, but he saw her glance his way several times out of the corner of his eye. Ten minutes and several deep breaths later, he shut off the engine and grabbed the door handle.

  “Stay,” he said and opened the door.

  She needed to get used to being pampered.

  “Wait a minute,” she said, grabbing his forearm.

  Her hand was soft, but strong and warm. He imagined her hands roaming over his heated skin and closing around his cock, and he fought the urge to move.

  “What is it?” he asked, impatiently.

  “Close the door for a second.”

  He dutifully closed the door and waited.

  “We don’t have to do this,” she said.

  Fuck!

  He’d given her the wrong impression.

  “We’re eating together, Belle. I’m sorry if I—”

  “You didn’t let me finish,” she said. “We don’t have to eat here. I know a Chinese place close to the Wild Bear. We can pick up some food, take it back to your apartment, and eat in tonight.”

  If he took her back to his place, he wouldn’t be eating food.

  “There’s no table, one chair, and no other place to sit except for the bed,” he said carefully.

  “I know.”

  God, she was killing him. Time to be blunt.

  “Belle, if we go back there, the only thing I’ll be eating is you,” he growled.

  “Finn?”

  The sound of his real name on her lips sent a new wave of lust racing toward his cock. He rarely heard the name, never cared for it, but from her lips it was magic. If there had been any doubt in his mind that Belle was his mate, it would have dissolved in that instant. He wasn’t surprised though. He’d known she was his since the moment he looked into her deep chocolate brown eyes.

  “Yes, love?”

  “Drive fast.”

  The only reason he stopped for take-out was because he had nothing to feed her, and he didn’t want to go on a hunt for food in the middle of the night. Once he got her naked, he didn’t plan on leaving her side until morning.

  ***

  Isabelle noticed her hands shaking and shoved them into the back pockets of her capris.

  In the truck she’d felt confident and bold, but now she felt nervous and unsure. Finn was in the middle of playing a puzzle game with the tiny refrigerator, but once he got all the food they’d picked up to fit, he’d want to strip off her clothes and have sex.

  Her nipples pebbled against the lace of her new bra, and she cursed the emerald green fabric. What had made her think sexy underwear would be a good idea? When she removed the garments, her unremarkable body would still linger underneath. What would he think of her soft curves and extra flesh? What if he saw her body and kicked her out?

  Don’t be ridiculous!

  She mentally scolded herself and sucked in a deep breath.

  At dinner the night before, her cousin had waited until dessert to talk up his friend.
Gabe was an excellent judge of character and he held Finn in high regard. He’d encouraged her to trust him, and though she’d appreciated his opinion, she was still uncertain.

  No one stayed in Liberty, but Finn had promised he would.

  Should she believe him? Could she?

  Earlier that day she’d decided to, but faced with the moment of truth she wanted to run.

  “Finally,” Finn said, closing the door to the icebox. “Those containers are bigger than I thought they’d be. We definitely won’t go hungry.”

  “Yeah,” she laughed nervously. “They’re packed with a lot of food, too. I forgot how tiny the fridge was in here, or I would have warned you.”

  “It’s okay, love,” he said, stalking toward her. “I got it all in.”

  Unconsciously, she took a step back from him and he stopped his advance.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “I…,” she took a deep breath, and exhaled. If nothing else, she owed him the truth. “Yes, I’m just a bit nervous.”

  “Come here.”

  She obeyed his command and he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. The feather light touch relaxed her, and when he did it a second time, her fears slowly retreated. The third time their lips came together, she stepped closer and rested her hands on his waist. He placed one hand on her lower back and one in her hair, pulled her flush with his body, and then deepened the kiss.

  Every inch of his rigid, muscled body pressed against hers and she could feel his hard cock pressing against her stomach. She remembered the kiss they’d shared at her door, and way he’d felt on top of her the day before in the nature preserve. Both times he’d clearly been aroused and on the verge of losing control.

  She may not be thin and beautiful, but he wanted her.

  And she wanted him.

  The last, lonely fear disappeared and her hands moved to the front of his jeans. She unfastened the button, unzipped the zipper and his thick, hard, boxer covered cock practically jumped into her hand. She closed her fingers around him and moved her hand up and down.