The BEARly Reluctant Grizzly (Bear Clan, 4) Read online

  I did this over and over again, licked and sucked at her, keeping her open with my thumbs and making sure to memorize every inch of her cunt. The beast within me wanted out, wanted to claim Ainsley because he was a selfish bastard. But my human side was just as selfish and refused to back down.

  Mine.

  That one word roared through my head on repeat, this war drum pounding in my skull, bringing up every primal instinct I had within me where it concerned my mate.

  My nails were now claws and I felt my incisors elongate. The gasp that came from her when she clearly felt the sharpness of them had my cock jerking in response.

  “Asher.” She gasped the word out. “God. Your bear.”

  “I know, baby. He’s there, right there at the surface.” My voice was so distorted it wasn’t really human any longer. “He wants out, wants to claim you in the most primal, raw way a mate can.” I shook my head slowly. “But I’m too selfish to let the bastard have his way.”

  I could smell how turned on that made her.

  I lifted my head from between her thighs and felt the glossy wetness of her cream all over my lips. I made this low hum of approval, running my tongue over my lips and tasting her deliciousness. And then I had my mouth right back on her pussy, sucking on her clit harder than before.

  “I need you to come for me,” I growled against her soaked flesh.

  And I sensed her surrender in the air. She cried out, the tendrils of her orgasm rising up and saturating the air.

  She reached out to tangle her hands in my hair. “Yes,” she cried out and closed her eyes, arching her back in the process.

  I moved my tongue over her flesh, licking her like she was a melting ice cream cone on a hot July day. God, I was already so damn addicted to her. I rose up from between her thighs and made another gruff sound, one that had her opening her eyes.

  “Ainsley,” I said deep, dark … my voice full of need. “I’m not nearly done with you yet.”

  9

  Ainsley

  The pleasure was unlike anything I could have ever imagined, had ever felt. And I knew it would only get more intense, more consuming.

  He sucked faster and slipped his hand lower so he could now shove a finger deep inside of me. Instantly my inner muscles clenched around the digit, as if trying to draw him in farther. He groaned and added another one, the ecstasy almost too much for me, so that I was on the verge of begging for release.

  But I wanted this to last, wanted to hold out until he came right along with me.

  Yeah, that’s not going to happen.

  “You’re so hot and tight, and all this wetness is for me, Ainsley, isn’t it?”

  I nodded.

  He grunted. “Tell me. Say the words.”

  “All that wetness is for you.” I gasped the words out.

  He murmured something, words I couldn’t understand, words strung together in the heat of the moment.

  He gave my pussy one more long, languid lick, and then pulled away. I was about to protest, but Asher started to smooth his hands over my thighs and up my belly, and then molded his palms right over the mounds of my breasts. The sensitivity I felt had me crying out softly.

  Asher leaned down and sucked on one of the stiff peaks of my nipples for a few seconds and pulled back. “Fuck, I’m having a hard time holding off, baby.” I watched in awe as he took hold of the base of his dick, aligned the tip of his shaft with my pussy opening, and then pushed inside of me.

  The head of his cock broke through the barrier, taking my virginity, claiming it as his. A groan left him when I clenched around him. “Christ, Ainsley baby.” He closed his eyes and grunted out deeply. “You’re so fucking primed for me, so tight and wet.”

  “Asher.” I panted out his name.

  He continued to push inside of me, deep and slow until his balls rested against the mounds of my ass. We both made a low sound of pleasure. Asher looked down at where his body was connected with mine.

  “You’re stretched around me, baby. You’re so pink and soaked.” He growled low, his bear right there. “And it’s all for me.”

  He pulled out almost all the way, and then pushed back in slowly. Over and over, he thrust deep inside of me, our wet flesh slapping together every time he pushed into me. He started to increase his speed and trained his gaze on my chest, the mounds bouncing slightly from his thrusting actions. He held on to my hips, the force of him fucking me having my body sliding up the mattress. The only sound that filled my head was our heavy, combined breathing.

  “Is it good, Ainsley?” he panted.

  I nodded. “So good, Asher.”

  “Touch yourself, baby.”

  I lifted my hands and gripped my breasts, pulling at my nipples, gasping at the sensations moving through me.

  “That’s fucking it, my mate. Tweak those titties, pull those nipples.”

  I gasped and closed my eyes. I was going to come again. I arched my neck and cried out long and soft, and he increased his speed. I was human, but I sensed his bear break, pushing forward, making it known he was right here with us.

  And then I came. I felt my inner pussy muscles grip Asher’s cock, pulling at him, trying to suck him in more.

  “God, Asher. Yes.”

  A light sheen of sweat covered my chest, and Asher leaned down and ran his tongue along the tiny beads, causing me to moan for more. Little tremors shook my body, and a hum of disappointment left me when he pulled out of me. But before I could complain, Asher had me flipped onto my belly. I looked over my shoulder to see him grab a pillow, place it under my hips, and then he just stared at my ass.

  “Look at this fucking ass,” he said and gave one side a smack before he grabbed a cheek in each hand and spread me wide. And then he just stared at the hole that was revealed.

  “Asher,” I whispered. “What are you doing?” My voice was breathy.

  “Baby, I need this tight little hole.” He looked me in the eyes.

  I licked my lips. “Back there?” I could hear the hesitancy in my voice.

  “Back here, mate.” He curled his nails against my ass.

  Without answering, but still holding my gaze, Asher leaned in and ran his tongue right up the center of my ass. I felt my eyes widen, my mouth part. He pressed his tongue to my anus, moved it around the tight hole, and then gently pressed in. All the while he stared at me.

  “Asher…” I whispered his name and closed my eyes again.

  Humming around the tight hole, he continued to lick at me, slowly at first as if he were trying to get me used to what was certainly something new to me. But then his actions started getting more demanding, more forceful. He squeezed my ass cheeks, growled against my now soaked flesh, and I needed to feel him truly let go.

  I moaned. “Asher. God.”

  He renewed his efforts by slipping a hand between my legs, finding the hard nub of my clit, and rubbing it back and forth at the same time he licked my asshole. Asher pulled back and used his other hand to press a finger to the tight ring of muscle. I tensed, never having even imagined that having someone touch me back there would feel so … incredible.

  Gently inserting the finger into my hole, he never stopped rubbing my clit with his other hand. I started to shake uncontrollably, and as I curled my hands into the mattress, bunching the sheets in my fists, I knew I wouldn’t last.

  But I knew that’s what he wanted. Asher wanted my surrender.

  “Come on.” He growled those words out. I knew it was his bear talking to me right now. “Give me one more.” He pressed his finger harder on my clit and rubbed it back and forth, faster and harder. I looked over at him, my mouth opened slightly, the desire moving through me like a freight train. He pushed another digit into my ass, and I could feel how slick I was for him. He worked his mouth all over me at the same time he fucked me with those fingers effortlessly.

  “I feel so full.”

  “Yeah, you fucking do, baby.”

  And then he removed his fingers from my clit and
ass, grabbed the root of his dick, and held it at my pussy hole. I held my breath as I waited for him to push inside of me.

  “You ready?” His voice was a growl, bear-like in its intensity.

  “So ready,” I whispered honestly.

  And then he shoved in deep and hard in one long stroke. The cry that came from me had a roar leaving Asher. He picked up his speed, his cock stuffing my pussy full. He started moving his hips back and forth, really fucking me.

  For being a virgin, Asher knew how to bring out all the exquisite pleasure in me.

  I couldn’t hold off, wouldn’t stop myself from going over the edge. My inner muscles started milking his dick and he removed his fingers from my ass, held onto my waist, dug his claw-tipped fingers into my skin, and slammed into me repeatedly.

  “Fuck,” he grunted. “Christ, Ainsley.”

  I moaned and gasped, the pleasure going on and on, never-ending, being prolonged by his cock tunneling in and out of me.

  “Yeah, that’s it, Ainsley. Squeeze my cock so damn good, baby.”

  And then I felt him bite my neck, his canines piercing my flesh. I knew instinctively he was marking me … claiming me irrevocably.

  “Yes. God,” I gasped out.

  He grunted against my neck, but then pulled away, licking at the wound he just gave me, lavishing attention to it. He slammed into me again, and whatever he hit deep within my pussy had these cries of ecstasy leaving me. This low growl left him and he fucked me harder, as if those noises I’d just made fueled him on, were exactly what he’d needed.

  I looked over at him and stared into his face, holding on to him as if my life depended on it, and let him take control. I was sore, but that discomfort had everything in me exploding into a thousand tiny pieces of pleasure.

  Sweat lined his temples, dripping down his face and landing on my skin. It burned in the best of ways.

  Asher didn’t stop thrusting into me. My arms shook as I held myself up, as I let him fuck me. I saw stars dance in front of my vision, felt fireworks light off inside of my body. I was high, floating above my body as if I were weightless.

  This was what feeling complete was like.

  This was what being mated felt like.

  The animal-like sounds that came from him told me he’d found his release. But I had felt it, those hot jets of his cum filling me, bathing my insides as if he marked me there as well. My neck throbbed from his bite, but it was the good kind of pain, the kind that told me I was owned just like I owned him.

  And when my breathing started to slow, only then did Asher slow his movements. He pulled out of me with a grunt and collapsed beside me. I was already on my belly, my arms giving out, my face toward him. He lifted his hand and brushed away a strand of hair that was stuck to my dampened forehead, his fingers lingering over my temple. He smoothed his fingers down my cheek, along my jaw, and circled the mark he’d given me.

  “It’ll heal, but always be present,” he said as if transfixed, mesmerized. “It means you’re mine, Ainsley. Every male will see it and know.”

  I swallowed at the intensity in his voice.

  “Know what?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.

  He looked into my eyes and there was this fierceness. “They’ll know you’re mine and if they fuck with you, my wrath is what they’ll get.” He cupped my cheek and leaned in close, kissing me, sealing his words. He broke the kiss and pulled me in closer, my chest to his, our sweaty skin reminding me of what we’d just done.

  I’d never thought this was how my life would turn out, but with all the loneliness I felt, all the misplaced feelings I had during my life, they all made sense now. Fate was waiting for Asher and me to find each other. We were those two missing pieces of a puzzle, and that puzzle was our lives.

  We’d saved ourselves for each other, never even kissed another person because we knew, deep down, without ever seeing each other, that there was someone special out there just for us.

  Fated mates.

  And once we were put together, completed the picture, making it whole … it all made sense.

  Cason

  I stood on my deck, leaning against the railing as I stared off into the forest. The sounds of birds filled my head, the sight of animals scurrying deep within the woods something I was able to pick up with my shifter vision. I was shirtless, my sweats hanging low on my hips, wild energy pumping through my veins. I’d already shifted twice today, let my bear free, let him be wild, but I was ready for round three.

  If I were being honest, I was not the type of person who particularly enjoyed being around others. I liked my solitude, my little piece of land away from everyone and everything. I’d built my cabin far away from my brothers, not because I didn’t enjoy their company, but because it was just easier for me to be with my own thoughts.

  And now that four out of the six of us had found our mates, with only Damon and myself without our other halves, it was really fucking easier to be on my own. Seeing my brothers happy and content, their fated mates by their sides, their families growing, had this ache settling deep within me.

  So yeah, being alone was really fucking good for me.

  And as the years passed, and the idea of my female grew further and further away, I realized that being out here was for the best. I’d started to become grumpier, more animalistic. I let my bear out more than I was sure any other shifter consciously did.

  And one thing I was sure most humans didn’t know, one thing that shifters kept tightly guarded, was the fact that the more times we let our animals out, the more times we shifted to let it be free, the more primal we became.

  I was right on the verge of just saying fuck it all and being a bear full-time. But I’d miss a lot of shit being human afforded me: enjoying a nice meal, sitting around the campfire with my brothers and shooting the shit.

  I’d miss a lot of fucking things about being a human.

  But the truth was, it was easier to be a bear. Less hectic, less confusing. There were no responsibilities or expectations. I lived off the land and just let my basic urges run free. And it was incredible. It was exhilarating and liberating. But whether I was in human form or shifted as a bear, there was one thing that was deeply rooted in me, something that grew by the second.

  My mate.

  It was this growing feeling inside of me, like this seed that was planted deep inside of me and every year it grew until one day it would just burst free, tearing me from the inside out.

  I had one sole purpose on this planet, and that was to find my mate, to claim her, mark her, to get her swollen with my child. And the very thought, the picture of her big and round, my baby growing inside of her, my mark on her neck, was nearly enough to send me into a frenzy of possessive need.

  I didn’t know where or who she was, but what I did know for certain was that if I ever did find her, I was going to claim her so fucking hard, there was no turning back.

  I just hoped I wasn’t more animal than human when that time came.

  Epilogue One

  Ainsley

  I was covered in sweat, probably had dirt all over my face, but in this moment, as the sun beat down on me, no breeze in sight, and my muscles aching, all I could feel was happiness.

  We’d been working on the renovations to the cabin for months, for what felt like an eternity. But there was a light at the end of this long-ass tunnel. We were working on the finishing touches of the last room that needed remodeled, and despite the fact I was exhausted, I kept on going.

  Because I knew as soon as this was done, I could devote my time to Asher.

  Just thinking about him had my heart racing. Only three months since our mating and I felt like every day was a new beginning for us. We learned things about each other constantly. I found out he didn’t even like tea, which gave me a chuckle seeing as that was the first drink I’d offered him all those months ago.

  He preferred his steaks nearly raw, but liked his grilled cheese sandwich almost burnt. He rarely drank alc
ohol, but when he did he preferred beer, craft to be exact. But the one thing he told me was his absolute favorite, that he was completely addicted to ... was me.

  I felt my cheeks heat as I remembered him saying those exact words just last night, his head buried between my legs, his mouth glossy because he’d just eaten me out, drawn an orgasm from me.

  A shiver raced up my spine as I remembered the pleasure he brought out in me, how despite everything moving in fast forward, it felt like we were going in slow motion.

  I looked down at my left hand. The engagement ring wasn’t anything extravagant, but that’s because that’s what I wanted, because that’s the one I’d picked. It wasn’t even a diamond, but a sapphire, a light blue one that matched Asher’s eyes.

  When he proposed just a month after our mating, most people would’ve thought it was insane to jump headfirst into that kind of commitment, but the truth was that entire month before he proposed felt like a lifetime.

  I had never said yes to something so fast.

  The sound of a hammer banging filled my ears, and I looked to the right to see Asher putting up one of the baseboards in the spare room. Although we were now engaged, we hadn’t officially moved in together. I thought it was kind of complicated seeing as he had his own house and I had mine. But he refused to stay away from me, which had every feminine part of me coming alive.

  So, although technically we weren’t living together, he was at my cabin every single day and night, and not just for the renovations. He slept in my bed, had his own toothbrush, held me every night, and told me how much he loved me. A girl could get used to that.

  He stopped hammering and stood, a line of sweat dampening the back of his white T-shirt. His muscles were pronounced, perspiration dotting his forehead.