Bearly A Squeak (8 page)

“Pack faster,” Alex hissed at Tara.

“Tara agreed to marry me,” Barry stated. Clearly he'd decided to rewrite history. She had never agreed. A part of her had always managed to hold out, refusing to marry him or share their finances. She'd known that she'd need to keep her money separate if she was ever going to escape someday.

Anna turned her gaze on Tara, eyebrow raised, arms crossed, waiting for an explanation. Tara swallowed hard.

“I turned him down,” she blurted. “Repeatedly.”

Anna turned her attention back to Barry. “There. You have no claim. She is my son's mate and none of your concern. Now I suggest that you toddle along and let them get on with making me some grandcubs. How are they supposed to get down and dirty with you standing there?”

Oh. Wow. Tara felt the blush spreading across her face. Peeking at Alex, he appeared roughly the same shade. As did Barry, but for different reasons.

“She didn't just say that,” she hissed at Alex, elbowing him in the side.

“She did,” he groaned. “She really did.”

Barry growled. “She is a -”

“Pretty little thing, yes,” Anna interrupted, her hand slashing through the air. “She is not yours and it's time you left. If you are not out of here by the time I count to five, I will remove you myself. Trust me, you won't like that.” She stared hard at him, unflinching, her tone stern and determined.

“What? -” Barry blustered.

“One.”

“How -?”

“Two.”

At a flash of movement, Tara turned her head to see the dog fleeing into the trees.

“You can't -”

“Three.”

Tara turned and looked at Alex. As one, they stood, grabbed the basket and fled after the dog.

“Now, look here -”

“Four.”

“Run faster,” Alex panted, as they pounded through the woods. Tara ran, listening intently for any sounds behind them. Before long, there was a high-pitched shriek. Tara winced, noticing that Alex did likewise.

“She wouldn't...” Tara gasped.

“Keep running,” Alex insisted, grabbing her hand and tugging her along.

Alex finally allowed his pace to slow to a jog and then stopped. He doubled over, gasping for air. He could hear Tara panting beside him. They'd probably covered quite a bit of ground by now. Hopefully it was enough.

“What... was...” Tara gasped, “she going... to do... to him?”

Alex shrugged. He'd always preferred not to know what his mother got up to when she slipped into protective mama bear mode. What was that phrase? Ah yes, plausible deniability. That was it. He was an officer of the law and couldn't turn a blind eye to anything she did, but he was so not arresting his own mother. Apart from the family ties, there was no way on earth that he was going to attempt to bring that woman in. As long as Alex didn’t know what was going on, then he didn’t have to get involved.

“Should we do something?” Tara asked, eyes wide.

“We should stay out of the way,” he insisted. “It'll all be fine and I really don't want to know. I am not arresting my mother.”

Tara looked uncertain, but she let it drop. “So, I guess that means the date is over, huh?”

Dammit. He wasn't ready for the date to end. “We could always shift and enjoy some quality outdoor time.”

“Shift?” Tara looked horrified. “Outside?”

“Yeah,” he said. “What's wrong with being outside? It’s how it's supposed to be.”

She gave him a wry smile. “Maybe if you're a huge ass grizzly bear.”

He mock growled. “My ass is not huge.”

“I just meant that you're a bear. You can shift and run around and nothing will bother you. I'm a mouse. Things keep trying to eat me. It's safer if I shift indoors.” She shrugged as though it wasn't important, but he could see that it was. She wanted to be outside, but it wasn't very safe for a small shifter. Not normally.

“Nothing will try to eat you today,” he promised. “You have your very own grizzly bodyguard. Come on, you know you want to. Just stay near the bear and you'll be safe.”

She tilted her head and looked at him, a smile slowing spreading across her face.

“You're on,” she said. Turning her back on him, she pulled her dress up over her head. When she looked over her shoulder, she caught him staring at her. “You planning on having your bear wearing those clothes?” she asked with a smirk.

He pulled off his shirt and toed off his shoes, his eyes still firmly on his mate. Still watching him, she slid her hands up her back and unclasped her bra, letting it slide down her arms. She was deliberately teasing him. Two could play that game. He unbuttoned his jeans and hooked his thumbs into the waistband. Her eyes were glued to this crotch, all movement ceased. He waited until she looked up and he winked at her, enjoying the blush that came to her cheeks. Then he slowly pushed down his jeans and stepped out of them. His hands came back up to the waistband of his boxers and he pulled them down, easing over his cock which was firmly standing to attention. Tara's eyes grew wide and she licked her lips. She was killing him here. Shifters were used to nudity and it was generally considered impolite to stare. It was different with mates though, and he enjoyed her reaction to his nakedness. She visibly pulled herself together, and with a saucy little smirk, she bent over slightly as she slid her underwear down, presenting him with a fabulous view of her ass.

“Ready?” she asked.

Was he ever? No, wait. Shifting. She was talking about shifting. Dammit.

“Yeah,” he said, voice a little rough.

With that, they both went through their respective shifts. Him bulking up to grizzly size, her shrinking down to mouse size. No one had ever managed to explain the difference in size between humans and their shifted counterparts. Alex left it up to people much smarter than him. He just put it down to some kind of magic and left it there. Anything else made his head hurt.

Change over, he revelled in the feel of his bear and the sheer strength that was coiled within him. Looking over, he spotted Tara in her mouse form, her little nose twitching. Lumbering over, he lowered his head to look at her. She was so tiny compared to him.

Determined to protect her, he walked slowly, keeping an eye on her at all times. She was so small, so vulnerable in this form, easy pickings for many animals. Not one of them would tangle with his bear. After a while, Tara halted and he stopped with her. He’d never seen a mouse look quite so exasperated before. She waited for him to lower his body, and then she suddenly scampered up his foreleg, her little feet digging into his fur. He could feel her now, sitting between his shoulder blades. What on earth was she doing? He waited but she didn’t move. He waited some more and she squeaked at him. Did she want him to move? Carefully, he raised up and began to walk. He could travel a little faster now, although he still had to be careful about dislodging his passenger.

He wandered for a while, enjoying the experience. The sun was warm on his face and he could hear birds singing in the trees. In his bear form, his sense of smell was extraordinary. It was always a little bewildering at first until his bear took over a little more, helping him to handle the bombardment to his senses. He could smell that a squirrel had made its home in this tree. A moose shifter had been through these woods in the last few days. Mrs Johnson, who lived in a house just on the edge of the woods, had been baking apple pie. He could also detect the scent of his mother, a fox shifter, and… blood? Nope. Not going there. Ignorance was truly bliss. Instead, he focussed on the heady scent of his mate. It was altered somewhat by her shift, but it was unmistakably Tara and it was glorious.

He finally came to a stop in a clearing and lay down, allowing Tara to run back down to the ground. Nodding his head at her, he waited for her to shift, staying in his bear form, unable to leave her vulnerable while they shifted. He watched as she grew in size, changing shape, becoming the woman instead of the mouse. She was a cute mouse, but she was a beautiful woman. Only once she was done, did he allow his own change to take place.

Straightening up, his eyes went straight to his mate. She stood there, watching him. He let his eyes drink her in, appreciating her form. She was perfect. Small but curvy, her skin pale and soft looking. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, and it looked like she was engaged in a similar struggle. He wanted to cross the distance between them, but he was worried about scaring her away. In the end, she surprised him. She walked over to him, her hand tentatively coming to rest on his arm as her fingers traced his bicep. She looked up at him with a small shy smile. He lifted his hand and cupped her face, satisfaction warming him as she snuggled into his touch.

“Alex,” she said softly. “Is your mother nearby?”

What? He really didn’t want to be thinking about his mother right now.

“No,” he answered. “Nowhere nearby. Why?”

She shrugged a little. “I’d prefer not to have an audience for our mating.”

“You mean... you want to…” he spluttered. “You’re ready? Now?” Please let her say yes, please let her say yes.

“Yes,” she said. Her eyes looked right into his. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

In answer, he lowered his head and captured her lips. They were so soft, so warm, so sweet. He enfolded her in a hug as he kissed her deeply, passionately. He forced himself to pause long enough to gasp, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” she answered, reaching up to resume their kiss.

***

She had never been more ready. She hadn’t known Alex for long, but she was already hopelessly smitten with her bear. A little part of her mind warned her to slow down, that she should be careful of making the same mistake that she made with Barry. She told that part of her mind to shut up. Alex was not Barry. This time, she knew absolutely that Alex was her mate and he had treated her with nothing but patience and kindness. She wanted Alex and she wasn’t letting him go. Ever.

She snuggled into his warmth as she kissed him, gently at first and then more firmly as passion rose between them. His hands were now cupping her ass, pulling her into him. She slipped her hands up his chest to his shoulders. Her neck started to hurt. Dammit. He was so much taller than her and she was already standing on tiptoes.

With a growl of frustration, Alex lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Much better. From her new position, she could feel his cock nudge her opening. Moaning, she undulated her body, creating the most delicious friction, as she continued to kiss him deeply.

With another sexy growl, Alex stalked a few steps and then she felt her back hit a tree. The bark was rough against her bare skin but she didn’t care. His lips left hers to trail down her neck, sucking at the skin there. She shivered, knowing that would be the spot where he bit and claimed her. With her pinned against the tree, Alex held her there with one hand as his other hand slid down her side and then slipped back up to cup her breast. She moaned as he pinched a nipple, enjoying the slight bite of pain. He continued to roll the nub with his fingers, alternating between pinching and pulling on it, as he nibbled at her collarbone.

When his hand left her breast, she whimpered and he chuckled. His hand glided down her body, slipped between them, and then a finger dipped into her, making her moan loudly. She squirmed restlessly, but trapped between Alex and the tree, she was going nowhere. She could do nothing but feel as Alex slipped his fingers in and out of her, hitting her clit every time he withdrew.

“Alex,” she whimpered. He was back to nibbling on her neck as he rubbed more firmly on her clit, sending little shocks rippling through her. He drove her higher and higher, keeping the pressure on her clit, and then he suddenly nipped at her neck, flinging her over the edge as she came with a wail.

She was still coming down when she felt him press his cock slowly into her, stretching her as she made way for him. Still he held her pressed against the tree, more than strong enough to support her. There were certainly benefits to having a bear as a mate. She panted as she adjusted to his size, noting the sweat that stood out on his forehead as he held himself under control. Finally, he was completely inside her. They stared at each other for a moment and then he withdrew just as slowly as he’d pushed himself in. Then another slow advance, the pace maddening.

“Alex,” she growled, sinking her nails into his shoulders.

He smirked at her and continued to move slowly, gliding in and out, tormenting her with the gentleness of his lovemaking. She didn’t want gentle, dammit. Not right now. She tightened her inner muscles around his cock, noting that his breath became harsher.

“Tara…” he warned her. Now it was her turn to smirk. She did it again and again as she leaned forward and nipped at his neck.

With a roar, he began to move faster and faster, all restraint gone. He pounded into her, the movement slamming her back against the tree. No doubt that’d leave interesting bruises later, but that was tomorrow’s problem. Right now, she lost herself in the sensations of mating with Alex. He was growling as he thrust into her, the sound exciting her further. She did this. She made him lose control just as he did to her. Tara leaned forward just a little, loving the feel of his chest rubbing against the tips of her breasts.

“Gonna…” he panted next to her ear.

“Do it,” she gasped back. She was riding high again, almost there. Nothing in her life had ever mattered as much as this moment. It wouldn’t take much to send her flying again.

The sound that came from Alex was half growl, half moan, as he came within her, simultaneously biting down on her neck. The added sensations tipped her over the edge, as she bit him back, before shattering apart for the second time.

She had no idea how long it took to regain her senses. Eventually, she became aware of the tree bark digging into her back. She was a lot less inclined to overlook it now.

“Ow,” she whined.

Alex lifted his head from where it had been resting on her shoulder. “Ow?”

“I think I have tree burn,” she said.

He lifted an eyebrow.