Beary And Bright (Fire Bear Shifters 6) (12 page)

Clara grinned, and leaned over to plant another quick kiss on Carter’s lips. But she pulled back suddenly when the clock on the dashboard came into her line of sight.

“Holy shit, it’s after eight o’clock already. I have to get back to the pie shop. Riley is going to kill me!”

Carter sighed. “I hate to let you go, but I understand. Can I see you again tonight? Maybe for dinner?”

Clara smiled. “I’d like that, but I have a feeling I’m going to be working well past midnight tonight. We have a lot of orders we’re trying to fulfill for Christmas pies for people. Can I take a rain check for tomorrow night? It’s Christmas Eve. Come to the hangar and spend the holiday with me and the smokejumper crew.”

Carter felt his grin stretching so wide that the sides of his mouth hurt. “I can’t think of anything that would make me happier,” he said, then leaned over to give Clara one more kiss before getting out of the car to let her go back to Red Valley.

Clara got home well after midnight, but her long work hours hadn’t dampened her holiday spirit. And the surprise bouquet of red roses from Carter had been a nice addition to her day. She’d thought he was going to stop with the flowers now that his secret wasn’t so secret anymore, but he just switched to signing his name on the card instead of leaving the sender a mystery. Clara admired the roses while she worked, enjoying the reminder of the gorgeous man she would get to see the very next day. By the time she left for the day, all of the Christmas pie orders for the Sweet Crust had been completed. The store would be open a few hours the next day, to allow customers to pick up their pies, but Clara had the day off. The clan had planned a fun Christmas Eve Day, full of food and fellowship. Clara was looking forward to sleeping in, and then spending the day hanging out with her favorite people in the world. And one of those people now included Carter. Clara grinned as she drifted off to sleep, with Carter’s face dancing in her mind’s eye. This Christmas promised to be her best one yet.

Despite planning to lay in bed late into the day, Clara woke with the sun, excited to get the festivities started. She spent the morning eating pancakes and drinking coffee in the hangar with the rest of the clan. Laughter filled the air, and Sophia and Drew burned off plenty of energy running in circles around the giant Christmas tree. In the early afternoon, Carter showed up, and the whole clan welcomed him, clamoring around to ask questions about how he was feeling. Everyone wanted to hear his version of his rescue story. He told it while holding Clara’s hand, which he frequently squeezed. As the day wore on, and the light changed into the long shadows of late afternoon, everyone’s beverage of choice shifted from coffee to wine. Even the guys, who usually preferred beer, were classing it up with wine for the holiday.

Zach and Trevor started firing up the grill for a barbecue. Thankfully, the rain had cleared up and the weather was sunny, although a little crisp. The grass was still damp from the previous day’s storms, but other than that Clara thought she couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful Christmas Eve. With a thick hoodie on, she was completely comfortable outside. Quite a difference from the holiday weather in Alaska, but she definitely wasn’t complaining.

Carter quickly established himself as the life of the party. He surprised everyone by coming out of his reserved shell, cracking jokes and giving and receiving teasing jabs just as well as the rest of the clan members. Clara fell even deeper in love with him as she watched him blending effortlessly into her group of friends and family.

A few hours later, after Sophia and Drew had gone to bed with the promise that there would be plenty of presents to open in the morning, the adults went back inside to sit around the Christmas tree and continue their conversations. Riley made spiked hot cider for everyone, and brought out a stack of pies to share. Even though everyone was still full from dinner, no one refused a slice of pie and glass of cider. It was Christmas Eve, after all. The holidays only came once a year.

The clock had passed midnight again by the time Clara and Carter left the hangar. As they walked toward the bunkhouse, Carter stopped to pull her toward the parking lot.

“Come here,” he said. “I want to show you something.”

Clara gave him a curious look, but followed him as he led her to where her car was parked. She laughed when she saw a giant pot of poinsettias sitting in the front seat.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you,” she said.

Carter smiled. “Your final Christmas bouquet from your not so secret admirer,” he explained. “But that’s not the only thing I wanted to show you. I snuck your keys out of your room earlier with Zach’s help, before you even knew I was here.”

Clara raised a questioning eyebrow, but Carter just kept smiling as he pulled her keys out of his pocket and handed them to her.

“Turn the car on,” he said.

“Okay,” Clara said, her voice filling with uncertainty. She opened the driver’s door and handed the poinsettias off to Carter, then sat down to put the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life and hummed quietly for several moments before Clara realized what was going on and looked over at Carter with a huge smile. “The clanking noise is gone!” she said.

Carter nodded. “It was a simple fix, like I thought. I also changed your oil for you. If you need help with anything else on the car let me know, but she should be good for a while now.”

Clara turned the car off and stepped out of the vehicle, throwing her arms around Carter, which was difficult to do since he was still holding the poinsettias.

“Thank you so much,” she said. “It means the world to me that you cared enough to take time to fix the car for me.”

He shrugged off her thanks, saying it was nothing, but Clara had meant what she said. That clanking noise had been nagging her for a long time, insistently reminding her every time she got into the car that she was risking a breakdown at any moment. Carter’s initiative to fix it took a load off of her worried mind.

Which left her free to think about the other things on her mind—like getting Carter back to her room.

“Come on,” she said, giving Carter a sultry look from beneath her eyelashes. “It’s getting late. We should go to bed.”

Carter smiled and let her lead him away without hesitation. This time, he joined her in her room of the bunkhouse. As soon as the door closed behind him, he pulled Clara into his arms. She leaned her head against his chest, enjoying the feeling of strength and security that came with being so close to him.

“Today was perfect,” he said, stroking her hair. “Thank you for inviting me. Thank you for letting me into your life.”

Clara tilted her head back so she could look at him. “Thank you for accepting me for who I am,” she said. “I never thought I could feel so comfortable and at peace with someone, but I can completely be myself with you.”

“Sounds like we’re perfect for each other,” Carter said, leaning down to softly kiss Clara’s lips. “My beautiful bear.”

Clara kissed him back. “I agree, my gorgeous bear of a man.”

Carter laughed. “I’m loving this nickname. I hope you stick with it.”

Clara smiled. “I’m sure I will. It fits you very well. You have the physique and the quiet splendor of a bear.”

Carter brushed a strand of hair back from Clara’s face, and his expression turned very serious. “I love you, bear.”

Clara felt her heart beating faster as Carter looked at her with an intensity she had never before seen from anyone. “I love you, too, bear,” she said.

And then, they were done talking. Carter pulled Clara down onto the bed with him, slipping his tongue past her lips and moving his hands down to cup each of her ass cheeks. Clara felt a sweet, tingling sensation starting at her lips, and spreading all the way to the extremities of her body. The tingling increased as Carter moved his hands from her ass to the front of her jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them before deftly sliding them off. Clara quickly returned the favor, taking off Carter’s jeans as well, and then pulling his hoodie and t-shirt off to reveal his sculpted chest. She could stare at that chest all day. It was broad and strong, exactly what you’d expect from someone who spent his days doing strenuous physical labor. Carter lay on his back on the bed, and Clara straddled him, tracing the outline of his six pack with her fingers.

“Your body is incredible,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“So is yours,” he replied. “Let me see it.” He sat up, repositioning Clara so that she was still straddling him, sitting in his lap. He pulled her hoodie and t-shirt off, leaving them both sitting there in their underwear, wrapped up in each other. Clara could feel Carter’s erection pushing against her groin, and she pushed her groin against his groin.

“You feel good,” she murmured. “Why are you still wearing underwear?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Carter said, then reached behind her back to unclasp her bra. He slid it off, then dipped his face to her breasts. He nibbled on her nipples, applying just the right amount of pressure. The warm, wet feeling of his mouth on her breasts drove her crazy. She closed her eyes and savored the moment, savored the sensation of her man having his way with her nipples. The tingling sensation in her body grew warm, and then hot. Clara was burning up with desire, and she could feel her panties becoming soaked with the evidence of her deep craving for Carter.

He seemed to sense her growing impatience, and he tossed her playfully onto her back on the bed next to him.

“Who’s ready for a little bit
deeper
action,” he teased, already reaching to pull off her panties.

Clara bit her lip in anticipation, reaching up to try to pull off his underwear as well. It was a difficult task from the angle at which he was facing her, but he seemed happy to assist her in pulling off his sexy, black briefs. She felt a fresh rush of hot desire as she watched his erection springing free, stiff and enormous. She moaned at merely the anticipation of him filling her.

“Ready?” he asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. She nodded, and he slid into her, filling and expanding her inner walls. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of him inside of her overtake her. He hit every sensitive nerve cell, every pleasure spot. He moved up and down with a steady, strong rhythm, until Clara felt like her body was going to explode from the heat and the pressure. She could feel her warm wet juices oozing out, welcoming Carter into her body. She lost herself in the passion of the moment, throwing her head back and calling out his name.

And then she did explode. Her orgasm burst forth in a tremendous cascade of satisfying waves, as her inner muscles clenched around Carter in pulses of sweet release. Carter let out his own loud moan as he stiffened and then came into her, filling her with a steady hot, stream of himself. He held himself inside of her for several moments, panting and enjoying the deep feeling of togetherness that their lovemaking had brought.

When they had both caught their breath again, he slid off of her and lay next to her on the bed. Clara snuggled up next to him, feeling warm, sweaty, and loved.

“Merry Christmas, baby,” she said.

“Merry Christmas,” he replied, kissing her forehead. “It’s only an hour past midnight, and it’s already my best Christmas yet.”

Christmas morning brought a flurry of activity. Little Sophia and Drew rose with the sun, eager to open their presents. Despite Zach’s and Mindy’s insistence that the kids didn’t need much, everyone in the clan spoiled them. Box after box had been placed under the tree, carefully wrapped and labeled with the children’s names. And who could blame the clan members for wanting to give so many presents to such sweet children? Nothing could beat the look of joy on their faces as they discovered what each box held.

The adults didn’t buy much for each other, preferring to focus instead on giving the children gifts. But there were a few homemade gifts. Luke, who enjoyed woodworking, had made a beautiful wooden dresser tray for each clan member. He had even managed to finish one for Carter in time for Christmas morning. Bailey, who had her own jewelry business, presented each of the women in the clan with a gorgeous new necklace. Hunter, however, had planned a slightly more extravagant gift for the clan. He handed each member a small envelope, and instructed everyone to open them at the same time.

Clara looked down at the sheet of paper inside with nervous excitement—it was a gift certificate to a local skydiving center.

“I know those of you who are lifemates to the smokejumpers think you could never jump out of a plane,” Hunter said. “But I’m going to force you to disprove that theory. On New Year’s Day, we’re all going to do a fun jump together. No excuses. I know Bailey has done a skydive with Trevor, and if she can do it, so can all of you. I promise, once you try it you’ll love it.”

The adults all began talking at once. The smokejumpers were, of course, excited about the plan. They had all jumped out of planes so many times for work that it seemed commonplace at this point. But those in the clan who hadn’t jumped yet, including Carter and Clara, were understandably nervous. Clara could feel her palms getting sweaty at just the thought of standing in the open door of an airplane. But she had to admit a little thrill of excitement filled her at the idea, too.

As everyone talked at once, and the volume in the hangar made it difficult to understand what anyone was saying, Clara suddenly realized that Bailey was shouting, trying to get everyone’s attention.

“Everyone!” Bailey yelled. “Quiet down and listen up. I have something important to tell you.”

When she finally had everyone’s attention, Bailey took Trevor’s hand and looked over at him with a smile. “You all know that I’ve been skydiving before, and I’m always game for a thrilling adventure. But I won’t be joining you on the plane on New Year’s Day. I don’ think jumping out of a plane is recommended for a pregnant woman.”

It took a moment for everyone in the room to grasp what Bailey was telling them, but as soon as they did, a chorus of excited shouts erupted again.

“A new cub!” Riley screeched with excitement. “This is the best Christmas surprise yet!”

All of the clan members exclaimed their congratulations, and began asking questions about when Bailey was due, and whether they knew if the cub was a boy or girl. Bailey was two months along, so it was too early to find out the gender, but that just added to the intrigue and excitement. The clan members could hardly wait until the next summer, when the newest little member of their family would be arriving. And everyone was impressed at how well Bailey had been hiding the fact that she hadn’t been drinking alcohol over the last few weeks. She’d been sneaky about it, wanting to save her big announcement for Christmas morning.

But the new cub wasn’t the only exciting thing about the coming summer. Luke and River announced that they were planning an official wedding, and Hunter and Riley piped in that they were considering a summer wedding too. This led to talk of a possible double wedding, and soon the excitement in the room had reached fever pitch. Carter and Clara glanced at each other, smiling happily as they took in the energy of a room full of people they loved.

As the chatter died down, Ian stood and addressed the group.

“There’s one more big matter we need to discuss,” he said. “As you all know, this year has brought us a lot of happiness in the way of new family. New mates, new cubs, and even a new polar bear shifter all the way from Alaska. But we haven’t officially made Clara a part of the Burning Claws Clan, and I’d say it’s high time that we welcome her officially. Obviously, if we agree to give her clan membership, Carter will be given clan membership as well. As alpha, I move to admit them both. Does anyone have any objections?”

Clara felt her heart leaping in her chest. She knew Ian had been busy, so she hadn’t wanted to press the matter. But she had been hoping that he would allow her to become an official clan member. As she looked around the room, the Burning Claws Clan members all smiled back at her. Clearly, no one was going to protest Ian’s motion.

“Alright, then,” Ian said. “Clara and Carter, we welcome you as clan members. You’re an official part of the family now.”

Cheers and whoops filled the air, and Clara and Carter both had wide smiles stretching across their faces.

“I can’t believe how lucky I am,” Carter whispered in Clara’s ear when the commotion finally lessened. “Even a few weeks ago I would have never imagined that I would find love, family, and friendship for the holidays.”

“It’s the magic of the season,” Clara said, squeezing his arm tight. “Love and joy can’t help but shine through during this time of the year.”

Clara looked around the room, full of happy faces and festive red and gold colors, and she knew it was true. Christmas magic was all around her.

* * *

One week later, the magic continued as the whole clan, except for Bailey, loaded into an airplane at a nearby skydiving center. The experienced smokejumpers were jumping with their own parachutes, and the other clan members were connected by a harness to experienced skydivers for a tandem jump. Clara sat in the plane, her hands shaking, as she watched the jumpers ahead of her. Ian, Charlotte, Hunter, Luke, Trevor, and Zach all hurled themselves out of the plane with exuberant whoops. Then Riley left the plane with her tandem master, screaming hysterically as the experienced skydiver tipped them both over the edge of the plane’s open door. River went next, screaming just as frantically as Riley had. Next was Mindy, who was going right before Clara. Clara watched in horror as she saw Mindy leave the plane. She couldn’t believe how quickly Mindy was sucked away toward the earth. That’s when Clara really started to panic.

“No, no, no. I changed my mind! I can’t do this,” she insisted as her tandem master pushed her toward the door.

“Too late to turn back now,” the tandem master said, pushing her closer to the door inch by inch.

Clara started screaming, and she looked over her shoulder at Carter, who was laughing uncontrollably at Clara’s distress.
That bastard
, Clara thought.

Then she was in the open doorway, looking at the ground fourteen thousand feet below her. She said a quick prayer, then screamed again as her tandem master launched them both away from the plane.

Suddenly, the roar of the engine was replaced with the sound of rushing wind. The sensation of the wind pushing against her, buoying her up, almost made Clara feel like she was swimming through water. But she wasn’t swimming. She was flying. And it was amazing.

The tandem master spun them around in circles, first to the right, and then to the left. They were hurtling toward the ground at one hundred and sixty miles an hour, and the adrenaline rush was like nothing Clara had ever felt before. She lost herself in the wonder of the moment, and was surprised when her downward flight was halted suddenly. She looked up and saw a huge red and yellow parachute above her head. Almost like red and gold, she thought to herself. Christmas colors. Perfect for a skydive to close out the festive holiday season.

For a few blissful minutes, Clara and her tandem master floated toward the earth. When they landed next to the airplane hangar, she saw the rest of the clan already gathering around Bailey, who had been waiting on the ground with Sophia and Drew. Carter landed a few minutes after Clara, and Bailey passed out paper cups filled with hot chocolate.

“That was incredible,” Clara said as Carter approached her. “I can’t believe how much fun I had. Although, I’m still mad at you for laughing at me on the plane.”

Carter laughed again, then leaned in to kiss her. “Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, you’re really cute when you’re terrified.”

Clara crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Carter. “You’re lucky
you’re
so cute, mister.”

Carter just laughed, and then their playful argument was interrupted by Ian, calling for a hot chocolate toast. The clan members all raised their paper cups in the air as Ian spoke.

“Here’s to the end of a brilliant year, and a heartwarming holiday season. I’m so thankful for each and every one of you, and I’m looking forward to many more happy years and holidays as our clan continues to thrive and grow. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” echoed each of the clan members, tapping their cups together. Clara took a sip of her hot chocolate and smiled over at Carter. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight.

“Here’s to never spending the holidays alone again,” she said.

Carter smiled at her and kissed her forehead. “I have a feeling the holidays are only going to get better and better from here on out, with you by my side. Happy New Year, Bear.”

“Happy New Year, Bear,” Clara echoed, winking up at her man. He may not have been a literal bear, but he certainly had the heart of one.