Bearliest Catch (9 page)

“If you’re trying to make me insane with
desire, that ship has sailed, my finned beauty.” He raised one
slightly shaky hand to caress her cheek as she smiled.

“
Finned beauty
?” She didn’t want to
admit how much she liked that.

“I’ve been trying to come up with something
original, since you’re like no other woman I’ve ever known. Fair
warning—I’ve got a few more I want to try out.” His humor sparked
hers, and she had to smile.

“I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up
with.” All the while, she kept up her subtle torture, squirming
against him, rubbing their bodies slowly together.

She kissed him again, the passion rising like
the tide.

Within moments, she was pushing at his
clothing, nearly mindless with the need that had come up so
suddenly, it nearly stole her breath. The tempest was upon her, and
all she could think of was getting him naked.

Thankfully, he was having a lot more luck
undressing her than she was with him. Within moments, she was bare,
but he was still clothed. It wasn’t fair!

A keening sound startled her, and she
realized it had come from her. The frenzy was building, and she
needed him to be naked. And then, she needed him to be inside her.
Simple as that.

Andrew seemed to know what she needed. While
she fretted, he was busy undoing buttons and zippers, and tearing
fabric when necessary to get them both naked. She felt more and
more skin against hers, which made her smile, calming some of the
frenzy down to a more manageable state.

They lay there for just a few minutes, side
by side, skin to skin, kissing as the night deepened and a soft
rain began to fall.

“Do you want to go inside?” Andrew asked at
one point, not rushing things, treating her like she was precious
to him, charming her with his care. “Are you cold?”

She had to laugh. Looking into his eyes, she
let one eyebrow lift. “Dude.” Some of her Southern Californian
roots were showing through in her words. “I live in the ocean. I
love water, and I don’t chill easily, even in human form.” Then she
thought about his comfort. “But if you want to take this
inside…”

She lifted away but his strong arms hauled
her back. “Not on your life,” he protested, laughing with her.
“I’ve got you exactly where I want you. A little rain won’t hurt
either of us. We’re shifters. We’re strong. And we like nature, in
all her moods. Right?”

“I couldn’t agree more. Now, where were we?”
She straddled him again, bringing her core into shockingly fast
contact with his hard length. “Oh, yeah. We were about to get down
to business.”

“I like the sound of that,” he enthused,
lifting his big hands to cup her breasts.

He knew just how to rub her nipples to make
her squirm in delight, and his hands—his whole body—was so warm. He
was like a furnace. A living, breathing, hard-bodied furnace.
Yum.

She’d been primed for him from their first
kiss on the boat. The talking and dinner had only made her want him
more. She’d been starved for this kind of male companionship, being
out at sea for so long, and she didn’t want to wait another minute
to find out what it would be like to be with a bear shifter.
Her
bear shifter.

Jetty hadn’t lusted after any other sort of
shifter before, though she had run across a few in passing, years
ago. They’d been average. Like her, only with different animal
spirits. But this one…this big badass bear…had intrigued her from
the moment she’d first seen him.

Now that she had him in her clutches, she
wasn’t about to let him get away. Although, it was sort of
laughable to think that she could overpower him. Even with all the
strength of her mer half, he was still male and still a whole lot
stronger than her physically. She knew, though, deep down in her
heart, that he’d never use that incredible strength against
her.

If anything, he would use it to protect her.
He didn’t fully realize yet how little she actually
needed
protecting, but it was a sweet thought.

As the soft rain coated their bodies in cool
moisture that did nothing to cool their ardor, she adjusted her
position until she felt the tip of him at her entrance. There was
no need for barriers between them. They were shifters. They were in
rhythm with the ocean, in tune with the woodlands. They didn’t
carry human diseases, and she knew when she was entering a fertile
time. She still had a ways to go for that, so this joining could be
stress free and natural.

She moved slowly downward, the lubrication of
the rain and the natural slickness of her body brought him into her
by slow degrees. She held his gaze as she accepted his thickness.
He was masterfully built. Hard, wide and long. Just as she liked
it.

The intimacy of looking into his beautiful
brown eyes as they came together nearly stole her breath. This was
why the Goddess had given mer a human form. So they could
experience this amazing oneness with another being. The union of
bodies, hearts and souls…

But such romantic thoughts were ripped from
her mind as he lifted his hips slightly, coaxing her to take more
of him faster. So he wanted to play, did he?

Jetty leaned downward and nipped his lip,
bringing forth a sexy growl from his inner bear. She liked that
sound. It made her want more.

She took all of him, seating him fully within
her, gasping as he bottomed out, sending little tingles of pleasure
all up and down her body. She’d never felt such magical
sensations…and they’d only just begun.

“You feel so damn good,” he whispered.

She looked deep into his eyes and had to
agree. “Right back at’cha, big boy.”

That seemed to surprise a laugh out of him,
right as she began moving. The laugh turned into a rumbling growl
of satisfaction as she slid up and down on his shaft, taking them
both to new heights of pleasure.

She started out slow, but things quickly
escalated to something hard and fast and hot, hot, hot. Little
sounds came from her mouth, and he was growling down deep in his
chest, turning her on even more. She liked the sounds her bear made
when he was inside her. They were an aphrodisiac in themselves.

He grabbed her hips, and she let him guide
her the last few deep, quick thrusts until she was crying out,
ecstasy hitting her, sweeping her up in the torrent that went on
and on. At some point, she felt him join her in climax, his voice
ripping her name from his chest in a throaty growl.

Oh, yes! That was what she wanted to hear.
Music to her ears.

The orgasm lasted longer than anything she
could remember. It was like a bunch of tiny climaxes all rolled
into one. A new experience that threatened to shatter her
perceptions of reality and probably ruin her for all other men.

She collapsed on his chest, enjoying the way
he drew her close, cuddling her as their breathing started to slow.
There were no words for this moment. It was too perfect. Too
exceptional. Too…almost…sacred.

Words would come later. After they’d both had
a chance to catch their breaths.

Words of goodbye—because she had a mission to
fulfill. She still had to go back to her people tonight and tell
them her findings about Grizzly Cove.

For now, though, they could cuddle on the
chaise lounge. Revel in the aftershocks of their passion. Be
wrapped in Mother Nature’s misty rain, dewing their skin like a
blessing from above. For now…Jetty could bask in the arms of her
lover.

A long, long time later, Jetty rolled off
him, moving to his side in preparation for pulling herself away
from his embrace. It was going to be hard to tear herself away. One
of the most difficult things she’d ever done. She almost wanted to
forget all about her duty to her people…but she couldn’t. That
wasn’t her. She was responsible for so much. People were depending
on her, and she couldn’t let them down.

“I don’t want to leave,” she admitted. “But
I’ll have to go soon.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go either.” He ran
his fingers up and down her arm, making her shiver in pleasure.

“But I have to,” she reminded him.

“I know, but I can still wish it were
otherwise, can’t I?” He sent her a sleepy smile. “At least stay the
night.”

“But I have to swim out under cover of
darkness.”

“Not if I drive you out there on my boat. We
could spend the night here and leave at dawn. Or before dawn, if
you’d rather. That’s my normal routine, so nobody would be
surprised. What do you say, my cute little fishy?”

“Cute little fishy?” She wrinkled her nose,
smiling.

“No? How about saline sweetheart?” She shook
her head. “Kelp maiden? Oceanic beauty?” He tried several of the
pet names he’d warned her about, and she dissolved in giggles as
his tone took on a more dramatic flair with each new selection.

She shook her head as he persisted, loving
his teasing. Above all, she loved a man who could make her
laugh.

“How about Jetty, my jewel?” He kissed her,
his voice dropping low. “The rarest pearl in the oyster of my
life.” His tone was less teasing now, more serious as passion
seemed to roll over them both again.

When he let her up for air, she smiled lazily
into his gaze. “I like that last one.”

“My pearl.” He nodded. “That’s the truest
one. You’re rare and precious. Beautiful and magical.”

He kissed her again, and they were swept up
in the glory of being with each other, the soft, misty rain
slicking their skin as they joined together once more.

Getting ready to take Jetty out on the boat
was hard the next morning. They’d spent the night in bliss, dozing
only to wake and make love again. Drew had never experienced
another night like it in his life. It was near perfect. The only
thing marring the moment was the fact that he’d have to let her go
this morning.

And it wasn’t just letting her go. It was
letting her go back out there—into danger. That’s what was really
killing him.

In a break from his normal, lonely routine,
Jetty helped him make sandwiches in the dark well before dawn. She
laughed and joked with him as she smeared jelly and peanut butter
on bread, licking her fingers and his mouth with equal gusto when
they paused for a passionate kiss.

She went back to making sandwiches, a little
breathless, but smiling. He loved watching her move. She brought
light and joy into his home that hadn’t been there…ever.

“Mm. I haven’t had PB&J in years,” she
told him, making two of the gooey sandwiches and putting them in
plastic baggies.

Drew worked at her side, frying up the few
eggs he had in the house and putting them on bread to make egg
sandwiches. They didn’t have too much more time here before they’d
have to head out on the boat, but he enjoyed every second he had in
her presence.

Whether they were in bed or in the kitchen,
just being with her made him feel…happy. Drew paused as the thought
struck him. He hadn’t been truly happy in a very long time, so it
was hard to name the feeling Jetty stirred in him, but he had to
admit, he thought it felt like happiness. Something he hadn’t
really expected to find again in this lifetime.

He’d seen too much. Done too much as a
soldier. He’d been the witness—and sometimes the cause—of human
suffering. His heart hadn’t been able to stand much more, which was
why he’d been glad when he’d retired. Leaving the service when he
had…well…it had almost been too late.

Drew had spent a lot of time thinking since
rejoining his unit here. He’d sought the peace of the ocean, but it
didn’t always fulfill him. Not like having Jetty near. He was fast
learning that having her nearby went a long way toward curing what
ailed him—emotionally, psychologically, and even spiritually.

She was light when he was in darkness. All
she had to do was just be there, and he could finally see
everything that had been missing in him for so very long.

But she had to leave. Soon.

She was going into danger, and he was going
to deliver her into the arms of the beast. It didn’t sit well. Not
at all.

“Jetty.” He spun to face her after turning
off the stove. He’d finished with the eggs, and they were nearly
packed and ready to go. He waited until he had her full attention
before speaking further. “When we get out there today…” He walked a
step closer to her, holding her gaze, trying to figure out how to
express himself. “I’m going to stay on the water all day. If at all
possible, I’d be happy to bring you and any of your people who want
to come with us, back here tonight.”

She moved toward him, her gaze troubled.
“They may take a while to decide. I can’t guarantee they’ll want to
come at all. And if they do decide to come ashore, I don’t know
when that’ll be.”

He closed the distance between them, taking
her into his arms. “That’s okay. I’ll be on the water every day
from dawn to dusk, waiting for you, if I have to. I want you safe,
my pearl.” He whispered the last bit, just before crushing her lips
with his.

This kiss was one of longing and fear. He
sought to imprint himself on her so that she would remember him and
have a reason to return.

Drew felt so damned powerless in this
situation. He’d just found everything he’d ever wanted, but he had
to give it up. And he didn’t know if he’d ever see her again.

She could go out into the deeps and run into
something terrible where he wouldn’t be able to help her. She could
be killed, and he’d never know what had happened to her. He could
lose her before they ever really got a chance to be together.

One stolen night was not enough. His bear—and
his human heart—demanded more. He wanted it all.

She was his mate.

That earth-shattering thought was the only
thing that could make him release her. He staggered back a step,
trying to process the thoughts that had come straight from his
instinctual knowing. The reservoir of magic in his soul—the place
where the bear spirit lived—guided him told him the truth of it.
After only one beautiful night with her, he knew for certain that
Jetty Silver of the mer was his mate.