Fealty of the Bear Read online

  “Muriel?”

  “Hmm?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.

  “I can smell you.”

  She bit her bottom lip as damning heat flooded her cheeks. “Do I smell bad?”

  “You smell fucking delicious. Stop looking at me like that or I’ll forget the rest of this meal and take you straight to bed.”

  Holy. Shit. He’d just said that without the hint of a smile that would say he was joking. He said it like he meant it—like it was normal everyday talk to speak to a stranger like this.

  Her blush sent tendrils of heat lower until it pooled between her legs. Delicately, she cleared her throat. “Do you take many women to bed that you just met?”

  “No.” He chewed and swallowed hard, watching her with a hungry, somber gaze. “But I’d make an exception for you. If you need it, I told you to come to me. I’ll take care of you.”

  Sex with a man who wasn’t her mate? She couldn’t imagine it. She’d only been with Bron and it had always made her sad. He wanted her to be Samantha and she couldn’t be. When they were together, it felt like he really wanted to touch Sam, not her. Did she want to go to bed with Logan and forget who she was for a night? You bet your ass. But could her heart take another helping of rejection when he up and left? She wasn’t strong enough for that yet.

  “I want to be with a man who wants me. It wasn’t like that with my first mate. This time, I want it to be different.”

  He lurched forward and grabbed her ankle under the table, then pulled her foot against his hard erection. “I want you just fine,” he said in a husky voice.

  Unable to help herself, she pressed the instep of her foot against him and stroked downward just to feel his rigid length. His eyes rolled back in his head and he leaned into her touch with a languid pump of his hips.

  “I want kissing and flowers,” she admitted.

  His gaze collided with hers and he stopped the motion of his hips. “That’s not me.”

  “And this isn’t me. Thank you for your offer, but you’ll be gone by morning and I need someone I can depend on.” Sliding her foot back under her chair, she pushed her unfinished steak toward him. “I’m going to put some clean sheets on the couch for you. You can sleep there tonight, but tomorrow morning, you’ll need to move on.”

  Inhaling deeply, she hurt every step that she took away from him. God, she hoped she was making the right decision. She’d been in a funk for so long, and now she was out of the forced relationship with Bron and discovering herself, and Logan showed up to throw a wrench into everything and made her question what she really wanted and valued.

  Perhaps he could erase her bedroom hang-ups if she took him up on his offer though.

  No. She didn’t need more hurt or confusion about men, and Logan was dangerous to fall for. He said it himself, he wasn’t a kisses and flowers kind of guy, and that’s exactly what she wanted. She wanted someone to court her, for heaven’s sake. She’d missed out on that when she’d married so young and to a man she didn’t know. Now, she had learned hard lessons and didn’t want to fall into the same pattern of just giving into people anymore. And she certainly didn’t want to feel like he was sleeping with her out of some sense of obligation for her saving his life.

  She wanted the man, but not at the risk of hurting herself for just one night of pleasure.

  The linen closet was in the bathroom, but she fell face first into a row of towels and let out a miserable growl. Her eyes prickled with tears, but she couldn’t even put a finger on why she was so emotional. Perhaps she was broken now.

  It would probably take him a few minutes to finish off the meal, so she allowed herself to shed a couple of tears into the linen closet. Crying used to make her feel better, but right now it only made her feel pathetic. She turned and gasped as she came face to chest with Logan.

  He stared unblinking at her with his dark eyes rimmed with that supernatural golden color she’d never seen on a bear before. His mouth was set in a grim line, and his dark eyebrows were furrowed like she baffled him.

  Wiping her eyes, she cleared her throat and pulled a pile of clean sheets into her arms. “Excuse me,” she croaked out, but he didn’t let her pass.

  Instead, he wrapped his arms around her.

  She struggled away, but he was relentless, and if she was honest, his strong arms around her were comforting. With a quiet sob, she melted against him and buried her face against his chest. It must have hurt him a great deal, but he didn’t even wince.

  Silence stretched on and on and he pulled her in even closer until she could smell the crisp clean scent of him. Man and animal with a hint of blood. She felt his lips brush her hair and she sighed. It felt good to pretend this connection was real. He massaged small circles across her back and rested his chin at the peak of her head. She felt heavier, like she had taken a long sip of whiskey, and her legs threatened to give way under her. His touch was a drug, and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember why she was supposed to stay sober. Not when she was enveloped in his warmth and the safety he blanketed her with.

  “You’re dangerous,” she whispered.

  His chest rose as he sighed, and his voice rumbled against her cheek when he said, “You have no idea.”

  Crooking a finger under her chin, Logan lifted her face until her eyes met his. His gaze dropped to her lips, and he leaned forward.

  It wasn’t a kiss in the throes of passion, but one born from tender affection. One created to heal tiny hurts, and as his jaw started working, easing her mouth open, her knees locked up and she leaned heavily against the hard planes of his chest.

  The brush of his tongue against her lips wrenched a helpless sound from her throat. All of the reasons she shouldn’t share affection with him melted away. She didn’t know why he was here, or even who he was, but he’d shown her tenderness tonight when she needed it so badly.

  Logan cupped her face gently and she opened for him, allowing his tongue to brush hers. This was different from anything she’d ever felt before. Heart racing, blood boiling, hands trembling, gnawing wanting pooling in her belly, conjuring her bear to push for more…

  Boldly, she pressed her hand against the seam of his pants and ran a light finger up the length of his thick erection. The jeans that kept her from touching his skin seemed unreasonable right now, and she lifted the hem of his sweater and unsnapped the button.

  A contented sounding rumble came from his throat, and she shivered at the sound of it.

  She needed this.

  As she slowly unzipped his pants, he pulled at her shirt until her dark hair fell from the collar.

  “I have a condom,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers.

  “I’m on the pill,” she said huskily. Shifters didn’t get diseases like humans did and tonight, she wanted to feel his skin against and inside of her.

  Her words seemed to excite him even more, because he gripped her waist and pulled her into the bedroom down the hall, never ceasing the slow roll of his tongue against hers. God, she was putty in his hands. His touches and licks were just right, like he’d explored her body before and knew just what she liked.

  With a practiced snick of the back of her bra, he pulled her free of it and eased back to enjoy the sight of her. “You’re perfect,” he breathed, and his hungry look matched his words.

  Muriel had never felt more confident than right in this moment. What did she have to lose? It wasn’t like with Bron, where she’d have to face him in the morning after knowing his heart hadn’t been in their bedroom antics the night before.

  Logan would leave in the morning.

  All they had was tonight.

  He pulled his shirt from his back and tossed it to the floor. The bandages didn’t bother her. His tight abdomen peeked out from beneath the strips of gauze, and she trailed tiny kisses to each place his skin was exposed.

  Each time her lips brushed him, a tiny puff of air left his lips and his muscles flexed under her touch. Hooking her fingers into the
top of his jeans, she pulled down slowly until his thick shaft was released. It was red and swollen, ready and alluring, and when she looked up to his face after studying it as he’d done to her breasts, he had his chin tilted back and was searching her face with hooded eyes.

  She dropped to her knees and grazed her teeth against his hip. His cock twitched and she smiled at her effect on him. How could she not feel beautiful in a moment like this, when she was causing such a sexy reaction from this captivating man?

  Dominant and powerful, he was allowing her to keep his back pressed against a wall as she did what she pleased with him. A surge of confidence took her and she ran a long stroke of her hand from the base of his cock to the tip. A single bead of cum sat at the tip of it, and she flicked her tongue against it just to taste him. Salt and man. Her panties were nearly soaked now, and she was the one in control.

  When she took his head into her mouth, he groaned and leaned his head back against the wall. His fists had been clenched at his side, like he was trying not to touch her, but at the first circle of her tongue, he ran his fingertips through her hair.

  He didn’t push her onto him, but instead seemed to revel in the slow pace she set. And when she found the rhythm he seemed to react to best, he rolled his hips in time with her mouth.

  God, he was the sexiest man she’d ever seen, and his powerful legs were trembling from what she was doing to him.

  “Touch yourself,” he said in a deep velvet voice.

  She’d never even thought of doing that in front of a man, but suddenly, she wanted to try everything with him. Logan was conjuring her inner goddess, and balking against his sensual commands would only hurt the progress she was making.

  The slow rip of her zipper filled the room, and she sucked the tip of his cock as she released him. He took himself in hand as she shimmied out of her remaining clothes. Easing back onto her bed, she spread her knees wide and leaned back on one arm.

  His eyes went wide, and his fist began slowly pumping his shaft as he watched her finger trail down her stomach. Watching his swollen cock as he milked himself was the hottest thing she’d ever witnessed, and when she pressed her finger inside of herself, the sensation sent delicious shivers down her spine.

  “Again,” he rasped.

  She pulled out of herself and pressed in again, and he matched his stroke to hers. She set their pace, and as pressure began to build with each touch, she arched her neck back and closed her eyes. She was going to come soon.

  “Not without me, baby,” Logan said against her ear. He’d made it across the room so fast, but before she could convince herself to be startled by his speed, he tugged at her hand and dipped his long middle finger into her up to his knuckle.

  A long moan left her lips. How did it feel even better when it was his finger inside her?

  A deep growl filled his throat as he settled between her legs and rested the head of his cock against the wetness he’d conjured. He pushed shallowly into her and she leaned into him, gripping his short, raven colored hair and dragging his gaze from her bouncing breasts to her eyes.

  He slid into her slowly, filling her until she cried out with the pleasure of taking all of him. He brushed her clit with every pump of his hips, and she’d already been so close.

  “Logan,” she whispered as he pressed deeper. He felt so good inside of her.

  Her orgasm crashed through her and she clawed the back of his neck as her toes curled in ecstasy.

  A cocky smile took Logan’s too sensual lips as her body was wracked with throbbing pleasure. He brought his mouth to her taut nipple and flicked it with his tongue, bringing a deeper arch to her back. And as the final aftershocks subsided, he said, “Go hold onto that headboard. I’m not finished with you yet.”

  Holy shit. Her bones were already made of putty. If he made her come again, she would be nothing but an amoeba on the bed. But it was hard to argue when his eyes were so serious and thirsty for her skin, and the anticipation of feeling his release inside of her made her bound to the head of the bed like an overeager puppy.

  Gripping the cold wood in both hands, she watched his shadow play across the wall in front of her. Smaller and more defined it became as he stalked her slowly, and when he was right behind her, he squeezed her ass firmly and pulled it back against him.

  “Arch your back for me,” he rumbled.

  She did as he asked, and he spread her knees wider. She could feel his bandages against her back and his warm breath tickled her ear as he nibbled at her sensitive lobe. Gripping the bed harder, she melted back against him as he thrust into her wet sex.

  She moaned as he ran his hand over the swell of her hips and to the front of her. He rubbed slowly just above where he was pumping into her, and the pressure began to build again.

  His kisses trailed to her neck just beneath her ear and he pounded into her faster and harder. The bed groaned in rhythm to their movement, and she pressed against him, meeting him each stroke.

  Skin slapping as he bucked against her, his teeth sank into her neck just as the first shot of heat burst into her. A low snarl rippled through him. His bite should’ve hurt, but all she could feel was the blinding intensity of another orgasm. She cried out as he gripped her hips and throbbed inside of her. Warm wetness trickled down her thighs as she detonated, like he’d given her more than she could hold, and she panted as his body seized again inside of her.

  He released her neck as the last pulse of pleasure died away, and pulled her down against him. Cradled in his embrace, she sighed in deep contentment and fell asleep feeling safe for the first time in as long as she could remember.

  He would leave tomorrow, but tonight, Logan had been hers.

  Chapter Five

  Logan tied his boots and shrugged into his jacket. The leather still smelled like a crime scene, but Muriel had done him a favor by being thoughtful enough to clean it right away.

  Out the living room window, pink and gray tinged the dawn sky and he could still make out the subtle twinkle of a few stars. The longer he stayed here, the more danger he put Muriel in, and after last night, he cared enough about her to keep her far away from the hell he was trailing.

  On a magnetized notepad stuck to her refrigerator, he scribbled a quick letter and padded as quietly as he could down the hallway to her bedroom.

  He’d slept better than he could remember with her in his arms.

  Whatever had possessed him to bite her neck last night wasn’t something he could bring himself to regret. If she knew the real meaning, she would hate him. Now he had a secret claim on her that she’d never understand, and he’d never push. Someday, when his life was at an end, he would know a part of her was his for always, and he would draw on his memories of last night to help his transition into the next life.

  He could just make out her soft hair fanned out across the pillow, and as he leaned on the open door frame, his eyes began to adjust to the dark again. Her full lips were slightly parted and the fine arch in her brows relaxed. From here, her creamy skin nearly glowed in the dark, begging him to run a finger down her cheek just to see if it felt like satin as he remembered.

  His heart thumped erratically against his sternum and he crossed his arms over his chest to stifle the odd sensation. No woman he’d ever met had affected him so completely. She’d been beautiful as she touched herself for him last night. None of the constant insecurity he’d seen in her yesterday had tainted their time in her bedroom.

  She’d owned him, body and soul.

  She’d been upset and vulnerable near the linen closet last night, and then she’d let him touch her. His chest had burned like hellfire when they were together, but he hadn’t dared complain. She felt too damned good against him.

  The thought of leaving her before he was able to find out more about her made his guts turn icy. But if she was going to survive him, he needed to leave her now. His next mark was Bronson Cress, and though he didn’t have the first clue where the alpha of the Hells Canyon shifters lived,
he was sure he could find out in town somewhere.

  Logan’s first choice had been Marsden’s clan. They were more obscure, and harder to find, but the old codger had booted him to the curb without a care for his plight.

  If Bronson Cress said no to protecting him, Logan was as good as dead.

  ****

  The phone rattled across the night stand and clattered to the wood floor. Muriel squinted one eye open and glared at the alarm clock. Six in the morning, really? Who the devil would call this early?

  Reaching over, she nearly fell out of bed stretching her fingers toward the phone as it skittered away from her like a roach. The vibrate function on her cell was impressive.

  She barely registered Bron’s number before she accepted the call. “Is Sam okay?” she asked immediately. There was no other explanation for why her ex-husband would be calling her, much less at the ass crack of dawn.

  “She’s changed back, but her injury still looks rough,” he said in a strained voice. “I know I have no right to ask this of you after everything we’ve been through and after everything you’ve already done for her, but could you come over and take a look at her stomach?” His voice cracked on the last word and dipped to a whisper. “I don’t trust anyone else.”

  And that was all she needed to know. That right there told her shit was hitting the fan in piles with his clan if he was desperate enough to come to her for help.

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” she muttered, then hung up.

  It was Saturday and she’d planned on throwing a couple of plate sets and heating up the kiln in the backyard to fire last week’s work. She had bills to pay, after all—late ones. But this was Samantha, and Bron had just snuffed out the life of his alpha and was likely battling to maintain his rank now. The last thing he needed was to worry about Samantha’s safety.