Bear Lake- Book Four (2 page)

“Nope.”
Janice breathed out against the push of his broad shoulder against her abdomen.

“I like
my uterus where it is.” She sniggered again.

“It’s
not like I go at it like a bull in a damn china shop.” Marcus growled as he
stomped up the stairs to her front door and reached for the bag that she was
clutching in her hand. She snatched it away.

“I got
this…” She frowned as she tried to lift her head and scour in the bag for her
keys. It took a minute and then she thrust it towards him. “I don’t got this.”
She chuckled again and his bear’s ears pricked up at the sound. Her laughter
seem to sooth the wildness within him.

“I got
it.” He took her bag and fished out her keys. Opening the door and tossing it
back on its hinges, he listened for signs of life from indoors. Nothing. It was
safe to enter.

He
flicked on the overhead lights and she raised her head. Her eyes locked onto
the fuzzy cat that brushed around his ankles and she grinned.

“Fuzz.”
She cooed and Marcus growled.

“Fuzz?”
He looked over his shoulder at the spiky ball of fluff on the floor. Damn, cats
loved him for some reason that he couldn’t fathom. This one was doing the dance
of love around and around him.

“I
thought you’d caught sight of my ass.” He chuckled as he took a step forward
and gentle booted the cat. It protested in no uncertain terms.

“Don’t
kick my cat!” She demanded and he reached down and scooped the damn thing up,
expecting claws but getting purred at instead.

“Didn’t
mean too. Where’s your bedroom?”

“I’m
not telling you that…” She scoffed at him before she started to chuckle again.

Damn,
that sound did something to his bear and his cock. He decided to follow his
nose to find her room and deposit her before his cock got any more bright
ideas.

The
woman had made it plain from the start that she didn’t want to sleep with him.
He was a man of honour. Even if he was going to have to shake a couple off with
his own hand when he got home.

He
stomped up the stairs and heard her groan on each and every jolt on the way up.
Then he spotted the open door at the end of the hallway and followed his nose
right inside. Flicking on the lights; his eyes scoured the room.

Feminine.
Still with boxes everywhere, she hadn’t been here long or she was planning on
leaving. He hoped not; he’d enjoyed their night spent bantering in the bar, and
he wouldn’t be averse to doing it again.

“Coming
or going?” Marcus asked as he stalked towards the large bed and dropped Fuzz
down before he started to slowly lower her down from his shoulder, letting her
soft body mould to his as he held her up. There was nothing wrong with a little
wishful thinking.

“Honey,
I haven’t come in so long it’s a national crime.” She offered and then tossed
her hands up to cover her mouth as she burst out laughing once more. He liked a
happy drunk.

“I can
remedy that…” He growled deep and low.

He
wouldn’t. Not even if she begged. When she’d been sober she’d said no and that
was binding.

“One
night with you and I’d be walking like I’d ridden a horse bareback for a week.”
She spluttered laughter into her hands again.

“Ok,
Ms. Independent, bedtime. You need to sleep that shit off.” Marcus started to
tip her backwards and she squealed and reached for his shoulders. Her fingers
curled into the muscles as best they could, and she cooed at the feel of those
hard sculpted muscles under her hands.

“Wow,
those are some big ass muscles…” She gave a little squeeze and Marcus chuckled.

“I’d
show you them naked, but I wouldn’t want you to throw yourself at me and beg
for me to take you.” He teased her and she chuckled again.

“That
would be…” She frowned and squeeze the muscles again. “Wrong…” But so damn
right, she thought, hoping that thought hadn’t left her lips.

“Says
you.” Marcus growled playfully as he placed one large hand at the curve of her
back and gently started to lower her to the bed.

“Too
fast…” The room was spinning. He slowed down.

“Better?”

“Kind
of…” She chuckled again. “You, Marcus, are one big old softie.” She whispered
and he grinned.

“Not so
much of the old, although some days I feel it.” Marcus watched her head sink
into the pillow and slid his hand out from behind her back. She was safe and
sound in her own bed as he’d promised.

“Tell
me about it. I never thought that I’d feel this old at thirty seven…” She
yawned and closed her eyes. Then she jumped and they flew open.

“You
ok?”

“Room
spun. Wow, spin dryer.” She looked a little dazed.

“You
gonna be alright for me to leave you like this?” Marcus didn’t want to go. She
seemed too alone, and he might just stay downstairs on her couch for a while-
just to make sure she was ok.

“I’m
good. I’ll just drop right off.” She informed him with a small wave of her hand
and a goofy grin.

“Well…
ok.” He pulled the thick blanket from on top of the box at the bottom of her
head and tossed it over her to keep her warm. When he looked at her face again;
her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. She was sleeping.

“Goodnight,
Janice. It’s been fun.” Marcus whispered as he turned on his heels and strolled
towards the door. A heartbeat later and there was a loud thump. His head
snapped around on his neck and his eyes caught her lying face down on the
floor.

“Whoops.
Guess I should have put you right in the middle.”

He
stomped back over to her and heard her chuckling. She was trying to push up,
but to no avail. Damn, the woman was like a fish out of water.

He
scooped her back up and placed her in the middle of the bed. Then he frowned.
Then he sighed… and then he climbed on in right beside her and wrapped one
large arm around her waist.

“What…?”
She mumbled.

“Keeping
you safe until the alcohol wears off.” He whispered against her ear; taking in
her scent again and closing his eyes to the feel of her against him.

He was
definitely going to have to choke the damn chicken a good few times tomorrow.

~^~

“What
the hell…?” Janice tried to pull out from under Marcus’s arm, but he had
something of a death grip on her, locking her in place with her back to his
broad chest.

It
wasn’t so much the chest that she was worried about as the hard length of his
cock that was poking her backside like it wanted in. Twitching and all.

Marcus
snorted as he snapped awake and frowned at the feel of the woman that his whole
body was protectively curled around. Last night slammed back into his mind and
he sighed inwardly.

She’d
been so drunk that he’d decided to stay. Crisis over, he hadn’t done something
stupid like fall asleep with one of his bear baiters.

“Morning.
You’re still dressed and so am I. Nothing happened, except you kept face
planting things like floors.” He explained himself immediately. He didn’t want
her screaming rape or anything.

“I
know. I remember. To my eternal shame.” She groaned and he felt aggrieved at
her words.

“Well,
I’m sorry I stayed. I thought it was better than you hurting yourself.”

He
wanted to pull away from her and yet he didn’t. It was kind of a strange
sensation to have, especially for him. Hell, usually where women were concerned
his feet never left the floor, let alone slept all night in their bed…

“That’s
not what I’m talking about…” Janice frowned. “Your… manhood…”

“Manhood?”
He sniggered like a cub. “Can’t you say penis?” He chuckled some more.

“Is- up.”
She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah,
they do that- those damn manhoods…” He chuckled some more and she groaned.

“Well,
you want to flip over on your back, sport?” She would have turned to eye him
over her shoulder but he was solid and pressed against her leaving her nowhere
to turn.

Marcus
didn’t want to move. His cock was enjoying the warmth of her body and he
thought it was probably sighing at the thought of no sex today either. He did
it anyway. Readjusting the blanket and groaning at the ache in his pants.

“Something
wrong?” She asked as she tried to lift her head and found it felt like lead
with the added bonus of some unseen hand playing ice pick with her skull.

“It’s a
little… crushed. My- manhood.” He growled. She snorted a chuckle.

“Don’t
even think about unleashing that monster in my bed. I don’t go in for tenting.”
She rolled further towards the edge, dragging her sore, pounding head with her,
and tossed her legs off the mattress.

She
palmed the bed and pushed up sideways. Groaning at the thunder that someone had
thoughtfully placed inside her head. She cursed.

“I
think I need to use your bathroom.” Marcus growled and she frowned at the
thought.

“Please
don’t tell me if you’re going to do anything in there that I wouldn’t do.” She
rubbed a hand over her face. Things still felt numb. She’d drunken Scotch- things
always went numb when she drank Scotch.

“What
kind of a man do you take me for?” He growled as he tossed the cover back and
jumped out of the bed.

“Show
off.” She gripped. “You drank more than I did…” She turned her nose up at his
constitution.

“Hey,
what can I say? I’m a bear, baby.” He chuckled and that deep tone seemed to
sooth her head a little. Then he was gone. Off in search of her bathroom and
she groaned at the thought of the neighbours. They were curtain twitchers and
his being there overnight was bound to be all over the village in no time.

“Damn
it. Nice one, Janice.” She muttered as she pushed up and nearly fell right back
down again. Her legs seemed to still be asleep. She wished the rest of her was.

She
gave herself a moment and slowly walked to the bedroom door. As she walked by
the bathroom; she closed her ears against listening to what he might or might
not be doing in there. She really didn’t want to know.

Once
she’d made her way downstairs and into the kitchen with Fuzz following on her
heels; she flipped the kettle on and groaned at just how loud it sounded in the
quiet of the room.

“You
ok?” His deep tone made her jump and she groaned as that ice pick turned into a
pick axe in her skull. She waved his concern away.

“I’m
good, once I have a coffee, I’ll be better.”

“You
want me to..?” Marcus took a step into the room.

“No,
thanks I got it.”

“That’s
what you said before you face planted the snow bank last night.” Marcus
frowned.

“Seriously,
I’m good.” Janice motioned to the coffee. “You want some?” It was the least
that she could do.

She
might have ruined her reputation as the newbie that shagged shifters, but she
couldn’t blame him for that. If she remembered rightly, he’d been nothing but
sweet, and he hadn’t tried it on. Bonus, although maybe a little disappointing.

“No,
I’ve got to go and get ready for work.” And take care of a few aches and blue
balls.

“Ok.”
She nodded and regretted it. “Thank you…” She called out as he turned to leave,
and he turned back with a questioning look.

“For
last night.” She told him. “It was fun, except for the face planting a snow
bank and the floor part.” She shrugged gingerly so as not to hurt her head any
more than necessary. “And for looking after me and not… you know?”

“You
said no, and when a woman says no, its no. As for the rest, you’re welcome.”
Marcus tossed her a wave and turned on his heels for the front door. Work was
the last thing on his mind.

~^~

“It’s
called pregnancy and a gazillion women have done it before me.” Alex protested
as she turned her back into Jackson’s front and yanked on the bag full of
shopping that he was trying to pry from her hands.

“None
of those were
my mate
.” Jackson gave a little growl to show her that he
wasn’t impressed with her independent streak at a time like this. She
retaliated with a well placed elbow in his abdomen. He grunted at the pain, but
didn’t let go of the cloth bag.

“I can
do it.” She growled back at him through clenched teeth.

“The
point is; you don’t have to.” He growled back; feeling his length harden at the
sound of his little human growling.

“The
point is; I want too.” She yanked harder, wrestling with a big old- twice the
size and more of you- bear probably wasn’t the best idea, but Jackson could be
so damn pig headed sometimes that she wasn’t about to let this one slide.

“The
point is…” Jackson growled some more and Alex felt the pin pricks of hot tears
behind her eyeballs.