Bearview Bride (BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (17 page)

With her thumb, she traced his strong jawline. Tess loved every part of him, from his prickly stubble to his strong scent, mountain air mixed with pure masculinity.

She placed her lips on his neck, feeling the wild beat of his pulse through his skin. He was just as excited as she was. The knowledge made her tingle with anticipation.

Trailing her lips down his chest and over his stomach, Tess went lower until she found the object of her desire. His cock was waiting for her, huge and hard.

Looking into his eyes, she wrapped her hand around it.

Cade reached out, putting a trembling hand to her cheek. Tess smiled at him, then wrapped her lips around his shaft.

Cade’s eyes rolled back in his head. Closing his lids, he let his head sink into the pillow.

Gripping the base of his cock, Tess swirled her tongue around the tip. The big muscles in Cade’s legs twitched in time with her motions. He was helpless before her, and that only made her more slick for him.

Tess took him deeper into her mouth. She loved the salt of his skin, the heady scent of him. His cock pulsed harder in her mouth as she sucked on him. Tess put her hands on his hips, holding him firm. She was determined to make this the best night of his life.

She inched her lips down his length, slowly but steadily. He was so huge, but that didn’t scare her anymore. He was hers, and she would have all of him. Soon, she had him so deep that his tip was in her throat. Tess moaned, loving the feel of him inside her. She was answered by an echoing groan from Cade.

Tess tightened her fingers on his hips. This was her man.

She pulled back, then dove forward again, until she got a rhythm going. She never wanted to stop. His skin was so smooth in her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him spasmodically clutching the bedsheets.

Grinning as much as she could with his cock in her mouth, Tess quickened her pace. Based on his ragged breaths, he was barely hanging on. She was going to make him explode in her.

“Tess!” Grabbing her shoulders, he made her stop. His chest was heaving. “You’re going to make me come.”

“That’s the point.” Languidly, Tess licked the length of him.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Grabbing her hips, Cade pulled her up so that her head was on his chest.

Her mouth was so far from his cock. Tess pouted.

“Hey, now.” Cade brushed her hair out of her face. “We’re just getting started.”

“That’s right.” Sitting up, Tess slowly lowered herself onto his hard and ready cock.

“Tess!” Cade cried out.

She barely heard him. They were both so slick that she slid onto him like they were made to be together. And as she sank onto him, drawing him deeper and deeper until she threw her head back and stars danced behind her eyelids, Tess thought that maybe they had been.

He was perfect for her.

His cock left room for nothing else. Tess gasped, exulting in the feel of him inside her, his skin against hers. His hands were on her hips, and sparks seemed to crackle from his fingertips. They were electric, the pair of them.

She thought she would be able to ride him, to slide up and down his dick until he had to come. But then Cade thrust, driving all thought from her mind. Holding her in place, he pounded into her from below, and all she could do was hold on.

It was like trying to ride an earthquake. Tess’s knees buckled, her muscles trembling. Soon she was helpless to do anything but hold tight to him as waves of pleasure rocked her core.

The orgasm swept through her, fast and unrelenting. Tess was powerless to stop herself from screaming his name. His fingers dug into her flesh, knuckles white as he groaned. She felt him empty into her, and the sensation sent fresh shockwaves through her.

Gasping, Tess lowered herself onto his chest. Her arms were shaking. Slowly, Cade stroked her back.

Her breathing gradually evened. Closing her eyes, she nestled into his carved chest.

“You’re not going to run away this time?” Cade murmured.

Tess snuggled closer. “I’m never going to run away from you again.”

She was rewarded with a bear hug. Tess laughed, showing her delight by showering him with kisses.

That night was a cold one on the mountain, but Tess had no way to tell. Cade ensured that she stayed quite warm—and very satisfied.

***

Her cell phone’s annoying ringtone sliced through her dreams. Tess rubbed her eyes, blinking into the light that streamed through a gap in the curtains. She felt a stabbing sense of disappointment. Had last night all been a dream?

Someone shifted on the bed beside her, and a heavy arm slid over her waist. Tess turned to find Cade there, still slumbering.

She grinned sleepily as the memories came flooding back. She always knew he was an amazing man, but three times in one night? Her man was dedicated.

The phone shrilled again, shattering her certainty. Was he hers? As if he could sense her doubt, Cade pulled her closer.

“Okay, okay,” Tess said. She would stop questioning it.

Stretching over to the nightstand, she was able to flip the phone open before it could blare again. She recoiled when she caught sight of the number. Maybe she should have let it go to voicemail.

“Hey, Mom,” she said.

“Oh.” Her mother let a long, dramatic pause hang in the air. “I thought you might be ignoring me.”

“I’m not ignoring you.” Tess tried to keep her annoyance out of her voice. Obviously, she wasn’t ignoring her mother. If she were, she wouldn’t have picked up the phone.

Not like she could say that out loud.

“I found some more of your dad’s crap in the closet. It’s a tripod and a camera bag.” Her mother sighed, like the gear was an incredible imposition. “I think there’s an old lens in there. Probably a shit one, the bag was open and it’s covered in dust.”

“Really?” Tess sat up. “What kind of lens?”

“I don’t care. Come get this stuff if you want it.”

Tess glanced over at Cade. “Can I pick it up this weekend?”

“It’s Thursday, Tess. I want this trash out of my house. If you don’t pick it up today, the garbage men are getting it tomorrow.”

Tess took some deep breaths. Was her mother trying to antagonize her? “Okay. I’ll be right over.” Gently, she flipped the phone shut, if only to keep herself from hurling it at the wall.

Beside her, Cade burrowed into the blankets. Tess smiled. He made everything better just by being here.

She laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be back soon,” she whispered.

Cade mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over.

Though she wished she could lie here all day with him, Tess needed to get her father’s things. Dressing quickly, she threw her keys and phone in her bag. Then, closing the door slowly so that Cade wouldn’t wake, she walked out into the hall.

The drive to Big Meadows felt annoyingly long, especially with the new rattling noise her car was producing. As Tess flew down the highway, she realized that she was getting more irritable with every mile farther she got from Bearview—and Cade.

Tess laughed at herself. She would return shortly. And in the meantime, she could use the knowledge that she’d be back with Cade soon to fortify herself against the terrible things her mother would be sure to slip into their conversation.

By the time she pulled up to the little yellow double wide, Tess had made up her mind. She wasn’t going to let her mother drag her down with any of her criticisms or scorn. Right after this, she would see Cade again.

Tess knocked on the door.

“There you are.” Her mother let the door swing open. “Took you long enough.”

Don’t rise to her bait,
Tess told herself firmly.
Just get Dad’s stuff, and get out.

The porcelain dolls watched her reproachfully.

“Thanks for letting me know about Dad’s gear,” Tess said. “I’m happy to get it out of your hair.”

“I bet you are,” her mother muttered. “How soon before you pawn it?”

Tess resisted the urge to clench her fists. “I don’t need to pawn anything. I have a job.”

“Oh.” Her mother raised an eyebrow. “At Foxxxie’s?”

“No, Mom. I didn’t apply to be an exotic dancer, but thanks for asking.”

Her mother lifted a shoulder in an elegant shrug. “I saw their wanted ad the other day. Don’t bite my head off for asking.” She sighed. “I guess I should have known you couldn’t get a job like that, not with those thighs.”

Tess let out a long breath. “Where’s Dad’s gear?”

“It’s in the closet. And don’t get short with me.”

Tess opened the door, rolling her eyes as she moved several piles of junk aside. There was the gear, a rickety tripod and a dusty bag. Tess pulled them out. The tripod didn’t seem very sturdy—she wondered if it was one of her dad’s earlier purchases—but she’d still take it because it had been his. The lens inside the bag was dusty as well, an old fisheye lens. She could see why her dad had shoved all this into the back of a closet.

Hoisting the bag over one shoulder and grabbing the tripod, she emerged from the closet.

“I don’t know why you have to be so snippy,” her mother said. “I’m just trying to help you. You don’t have much in the way of looks, so you should at least be nice.”

“Wow,” Tess said. “Thanks, Mom.” She walked toward the front door, but her mother blocked her path.

“I just want to help you, Tessy.” Her mother ignored Tess’s scowl at the hated nickname. “You’ll never get a man if you don’t slim down.”

That was it. Tess whirled on her mother. “For your information, I have a man. And the size of my thighs doesn’t seem to bother him one bit.”

Her mother snorted. “He can’t be anything special, then.”

“He is,” Tess snapped. “He’s handsome, and charming, and loving—which you could learn from, by the way.”

“Honey, I know men. He’s just like all the others. You don’t have looks, so he’ll want you for your money. I guarantee it.”

Tess scoffed. “What? I don’t even have money.”

“And if you sold all that camera gear?” Kim let the silence stretch between them. “You have enough.”

Tess stared at her, stunned. “I’m not arguing with you. This is ridiculous.”

“You’re just upset because you know I’m right.”

“That’s enough.” Holding the tripod out like a shield, Tess pushed past her and through the door. She hurried down the overgrown path and jumped into her car, ignoring the cross-armed figure of her mother on the stoop.

Her car gave a few feeble noises, then roared to life. Tess drove out of Big Meadows without a backward glance. She knew Cade. He wasn’t like the men her mother spoke of.

Tess sped toward Bearview. She would feel much better once she was back on Mount Bliss.

That she was sure of.

Chapter Fifteen

T
ESS STOOD ON
a rock in the middle of the stream, trying for another picture. Cade called to her, but she didn’t seem to hear. She crouched to take a photo, ignoring his shout of warning. Then she slipped, tumbling into the stream.

But it wasn’t a stream of water. It was a stream of documents, the pages rustling as they coursed along. Cade grabbed one to find it was a building permit.

“Help!” Tess was disappearing beneath the weight of ink and paper.

“Tess!” Cade dove in after her. He searched for her, frantic, the permits slicing him in a thousand places as they whipped past.

They circled around him, their ink blending and blurring. Cade kicked through the torrent, fighting past them.

“Tess!” he shouted again. “Where are you?” It was hard to breathe. Tess was nowhere to be found. The pages piled on top of him, and his bones creaked under the weight.

It was hopeless. There was no way Tess would survive. They would both be buried under the mountain of permits.

Pages closed in all around him, until all he could see was ink. This was it. This was how it was all going to end…

Cade sat up, gasping. Clawing at the tangled sheets, he slumped against the headboard. He drew in a shuddering breath. It had all seemed so real.

His first rational thought was that Tess was gone. That was obvious enough, as the room was empty besides him. The second was that he had no money for the permits. He didn’t know which made him feel worse.

Stumbling out of bed, Cade went to the door. The last thing he needed was someone seeing him in a staff member’s room.

The hallway seemed clear. Ducking out, he took two huge strides and entered his own room.

Luckily, no one had seen.

Safely inside, Cade gathered himself. Dating Tess—were they officially dating?—was the least of his worries. Sure, his mother might be annoyed that he was fraternizing with an important staff member, but she would get over it eventually.

Padding to his sink, he splashed cool water over his face. He had to take care of the permits. The damn things were consuming his dreams.

But what could he possibly do? Drying his face, Cade mulled over his options. He had nothing to sell, no time for another job. Maybe he could ask the bank for a loan, and put the lodge up as collateral. No, that could get them into an even worse situation than they were in now.

There was a soft knock at his door.

“Come in,” Cade growled.

Behind him, Tess appeared in the mirror. His heart clenched. She looked even worse than he felt, with red-rimmed eyes and tousled hair.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, turning to her. “You look upset.”

“I just went to my mom’s place.” She set her bag on his bed. “That always makes me upset.”

Cade leaned against the sink. “Want to talk about it?”

“It’s nothing.” Tess traced the wood grain on the headboard. “I feel better now that you’re here, anyway. Let’s focus on more important things.”

“Like what?” Cade could only think of permits.

“Like the wedding. That’s tomorrow, right? Do we need to clean out the honeymoon cabin or anything?”

“Oh, right.” Cade frowned. “I forgot about that.”

“How could you forget about that?” Stepping forward, Tess laid a hand on his arm. “Is everything okay?”

He had sworn to himself that this was his problem to fix, but something in her touch made him crack. He let out a long, shuddering breath. “Building permits,” he said. “We can’t build the new lift until I get them.”