Big Sexy Bear (6 page)

“No,” he said. “Come here.” He walked with her to the edge of the overlook and pointed down to a grassy area just on the other side and a few feet down. It was just wide enough for two people to lie there and enjoy the view, and it was a favorite hangout for high school kids hoping to get some.

But for him, it was just a chance to be in the woods, in nature, with his mate. Get to know her a little more and see if she enjoyed the things he enjoyed.

See if she could really be happy staying in Bearstone Village with him.

He stepped over the railing, helped her over, and then slid down the few feet of embankment to the grassy area overlooking the town. She looked nervous, but he set down the basket and reached up with both hands, holding her waist to guide her down.

She had that flushed, aware face when he set her gently down and reached into the basket to pull out a thick woolen blanket. He spread it on the ground beneath them and helped her sit and get situated.

As she sighed and looked out at the town, he opened the basket to show her what else he’d brought.

“Dessert?” he asked, pulling plates out and setting them down.

“Ooh! Really?” she asked. “Just when I thought this date couldn’t get better…” She trailed off, looking embarrassed. “I mean…”

“It’s a date,” he said. “It better be. I want to be far more than your friend, Katrina.”

She flushed and grinned, doing that adorable thing where she tucked her hair back. He pulled out the two packages of yellow sponge cake, the strawberries he’d washed and cut, and a can of whipped cream.

She laughed. “Homemade?”

He shook the can and handed it to her. “You know it.” He ripped open the package of sponge cakes, put them on a plate, poured strawberries over it, and then took the can back from her. He grinned as he squirted it liberally over the dessert and then handed it to her.

He stared at her awkwardly, waiting for her to take the first bite. He didn’t want to look away until he saw she liked it.

She eyed it suspiciously but gamely took a bite and then closed her eyes and let out a low moan. “Homemade or not, that’s amazing.”

“Yeah,” he said, trying to calm his body as he made his own. “I mean, all I did was cut the strawberries, but no expenses spared.”

“Sometimes it’s the simple things that matter,” she said, taking another bite and closing her eyes as she chewed. When she opened them, she looked out at the view wistfully and then over at him. “I feel like Mac today,” she said.

“How do you mean?” he asked, finishing his dessert in two bites.

She set hers in her lap and leaned back on her hands. “I just mean, I do wish we could stay. I’m already falling in love with this place.”

She looked at him as she said it, and he wondered if a part of her was falling in love with him too.

He was already falling in love with her, but she didn’t really react well to hearing stuff like that, so he decided not to say anything about it.

“You all right?” she asked. “You got quiet over there.”

“Just thinking,” he said. “You going to finish your dessert?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, picking it up again. “You going to watch me like you always do?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I’ve seen something sexier,” she said shyly, looking him up and down.

Damn, that made him hard. He shifted, hoping she wouldn’t notice. What he wouldn’t give to take her right now, right here, alone on the grass with the stars right above him.

“Ares?” she asked, finishing the treat and setting the empty plate aside to snuggle in close to him. He leaned back on his elbows and let her prop herself against his side.

“Yes?” he asked, feeling like he was about to explode with unresolved tension.

“What would you say if I said I wanted everything?” she asked. “You know, for these few days we’re together.”

“What do you mean everything?” he asked, feeling his throat and mouth go dry as his heart pounded in his ears.

She ran a hand over his chest. “I mean
everything
,” she said. “Everything you have to offer. All of you.”

He raised both eyebrows in surprise. His mate wanted him. Badly, by the look of it.

But was it the right thing to do?

She drew her hand down his abs to the waistband of his jeans, where she played with the button. “It’s been so long for me, and I like you, a lot. And I think you’d make it good. So good I could hold on to it after this when I’m alone.”

“Honey, I’ll make it so good you can’t live without me,” he said.

She looked up at him in surprise, and he brought his lips down over hers. After a quick, intense kiss, he pulled back.

“I’m not doing this for a fling,” he said, rolling over to straddle her as she lay on her back on the grass. “I’m doing this because you’re mine.”

She blinked up at him, caught in the same spell he was under. Then she nodded. “Yours. While I can be.”

He growled and nuzzled into her neck, and she gave a little gasp of surprise and then moaned as he licked the skin there.

She would be his forever.

She just didn’t know it yet.

K
atrina felt
a shock of pleasure go through her as Ares leaned into her neck and gave her a soft, passionate kiss.

It had been so long since anyone had paid attention to her like this, and it had never been someone as tall or strong or hot or dependable as Ares. As he kissed her again, she felt her entire body respond to him, wanting him to keep going.

The air was cool and crisp in the hills overlooking the village. It was the height of summer, and everywhere else in the country they’d passed through was either scorching hot or suffocatingly humid. But up here in the mountains, the air was perfect. Clean, fresh air unlike anywhere she’d ever lived before. The scent of evergreens and slightly moist earth from yesterday’s rainfall. An endless forest alive with growth.

She leaned back onto the huge, soft blanket beneath them, enjoying the feel of it under her but enjoying Ares’s touch even more. Ares leaned over her, propping himself up with one hand while the other came behind her head, cradling it while he ran his fingers through her hair. The light touch of his fingers and their gentle pull sent shivers down her spine as he came over her mouth again in a firm kiss.

Kat opened her mouth, wanting Ares to come inside. And he did so, running his tongue along the back of her mouth and entwining with hers, the soft wetness building inside her and driving her crazy.

Ares seemed to go on forever, his wide shoulders filling her view. As he stroked inside of her mouth, muffling quiet moans from her, Katrina ran her hands along his arms, his back, feeling the strong, corded muscles that ran all along his body. They felt even better than she remembered, and for a moment, she considered what it would be like to have him above her, naked, thrusting into her.

In that moment, Ares stroked again inside her mouth as he ran his hand down her neck, blazing a trail of heat across her cool skin. Kat felt desire pooling deep inside her more and more with each kiss.

“How does it feel?” Ares asked as he kissed her neck, the warm air ticklish and arousing.

“Better than I could have imagined,” Kat said with wonder. She couldn’t even believe what was happening herself.

Ares chuckled, then nipped lightly on her ear, a pleasant shock going through her. “Whatever expectations you had, prepare to have them shattered,” he said.

He straddled her with his thighs, and she enjoyed the feel of his hard legs pressing into her curvaceous sides. From here, she could see the fire in his beautiful green eyes, could tell just how aroused he was as his hands and gaze roved over her. It felt powerful to have that kind of effect on a man like this.

Ares came down to the hem of her shirt and lifted it lightly, just enough to expose the flesh at her belly. First, he kissed along the rim of her belly button, then stroked inside it with his tongue. The feel was incredible, and her body writhed slightly at the intensity of it.

“Sensitive, aren’t you?” Ares asked as his hands moved slowly up her midsection.

Kat just nodded. Nothing had ever felt so good. But she couldn’t help thinking it wasn’t just because of what was happening, but who was doing it.

The perfect gentleman and the perfect lover. What a coincidence.

Ares’s hands ran along her body, beneath her shirt. Their light roughness indicated a life of hard work and effort. The kind of hands that belonged only to a man that worked for his keep and took no shortcuts in life.

The kind of hands that could protect her, if only for a little while, until she and Mac had to run again. What chance did a construction worker from a small town have against the kind of men that were after her?

Ares’s hands came over her bra and cupped her large breasts, holding them and squeezing over the soft fabric, drawing a ragged moan from her. Every touch was ecstasy.

“Shall we get this out of the way?” Ares asked, running his hands along the fabric.

“Are you sure? It won’t be too cold?” Kat asked. In reality, the night was still quite warm, and the thought of being bared to him like that was sexy, if not a little bit frightening.

“I’ll keep you warm. I promise,” he said with a sexy grin. With one swift motion, he pulled off her shirt and then unhooked her bra. With each piece of clothing lost, Kat could feel herself blushing more, and when he laced the bra through her arms and completely off, she was sure he could see her embarrassment.

When she looked up, though, she only found the look of raw lust in Ares’s heated eyes as he came over her breasts. He kissed them both once, then ran his tongue over them. The cool air ran over the wet skin, forming two hard tips that ached for more of his touch.

As if answering her body’s call, he gathered the soft flesh in his hands and sucked on one, then the other. Each time he did, Katrina felt herself become more and more aroused, her entire body begging for more from him. And each time he kissed one, he would run his finger along the nipple of the other breast with his hand, pressing it with his thumb and tweaking it lightly.

He was a whirlwind of pleasure, and Kat thought it would be more appropriate if he were named after the Greek god of pleasure, whoever that was.

As he continued kissing her, sucking and laving her breasts with his tongue, she ran her hands through his hair. It was soft and thick, and with each lick, her grip tightened, holding on to this man that was blowing her mind.

“Yeah, you’ll want to hold on to something,” Ares said. She felt his hand run down her stomach and to the top of her pants. With a flick, he undid the button and unzipped them. Before she could respond, his hand came beneath her underwear and over her center. In an instant, she felt incredible anticipation as he held his hand there, waiting for her.

Katrina felt her eyes go wide, and she nodded with approval.

Maybe he was right about making it so good she’d never be able to leave.

By the time he was done, she didn’t know how she’d be able to.

E
verything about Katrina was perfect
. For Ares, no woman had ever turned him on like this. Made him feel so alive and wanted and needed.

Somehow, this small, curvy, beautiful woman and her nephew had come into his life suddenly, and without a doubt he knew they were his own. She felt like his own.

His mate.

He heard his bear growl the words deep inside him. For now, he couldn’t act on that. This woman still held so many secrets, so much fear and pain from something she wasn’t yet fully able to explain. But he could give her more pleasure than she’d ever had in her life. Could make her feel so good it would make all the hurt of the past disappear, if only for a moment.

He’d do anything to make her smile. To hear her moan and say his name as she came. To please her.

Ares ran a finger down her center and over her clit, and Kat let out a stifled groan. The sound was music to his ears. If he went deaf right now and that was the last sound he ever heard for the rest of his days, he could die happy.

But it wasn’t the last sound, and as he went into a slow rhythm of running his finger right up the center, her moans became louder and louder.

“Don’t worry. Nobody can hear you out here. It’s just you and me, Kat,” Ares whispered into her ear before nipping on the soft lobe.

Ares loved the slick, wet feel of her down there. The thought she was so wet, so ready for him made him harder than he’d ever been in his life. He could only imagine what it would be like to slide into that slick warmth and be one with her. To make her go with him inside.

But not tonight.

Probably.

The cool night air swirled around them, the stars and the full moon their only light. But even in the darkness, Ares could see his mate. Could see the small beads of perspiration on her brow as her breathing raced with each stroke. He could pick up her scent, wonderful and clean with a hint of spice, intermingling with the fresh pine forest around them. It was ecstasy. Perfection.

Ares stroked and stroked, and he could feel the tension building to a fever pitch in Kat. He came over her breasts, which were starting to cool, and warmed them with his lips and his tongue, drawing ragged breaths from her.

How long had it been since his poor mate had orgasmed?

Ares planned to remedy that as many times as possible tonight.

With one final stroke, giving a soft flick with his finger while he sucked on her wanting breast, Katrina came apart in his arms. He held her close, and she buried herself deep into his shoulder, yelling into the soft fabric while her body convulsed and her hands dug deep into his back. He loved the feel of her release, loved the knowledge that she was experiencing the pinnacle of pleasure with him.

And that he’d been the one to give it to her.

After a few long moments, Katrina’s grip slackened and she released him, gazing back into his eyes, their warm depth reflecting the full moon.

“Damn… I didn’t know it could feel that good,” she said between long breaths.

“Sweetheart, we’ve only just started,” Ares replied as he reached for another small, soft wool blanket he’d stored in the bottom of the basket.

As he slid off her pants, he watched Katrina’s reaction, making sure she was still all right with what he was doing.

“What are you doing?” she asked, arousal and hunger in her voice.

“If just a finger felt that good, imagine my mouth,” Ares said playfully as he slid off her black panties. He wanted nothing more than to taste his mate, to feel her wetness with his tongue and make her scream his name this time.

“I… uh, what do you mean?” she said, sounding bewildered at what he was suggesting.

“Shhh,” he said devilishly as he laid the blanket down to cover her from the waist down and then slid under it. “You just relax and let me do the work.”

Kat didn’t respond, just nestled back into the thick under blanket and wrapped the corners of it around her shoulders.

If this really was his mate, then she’d have to get used to what he was about to do, because there would be a lot of it.

This close to her, he could scent his mate even better, could feel her warmth and her desire. He gently spread her legs and placed a long kiss right over her center. Her entire body quivered, driving Ares wild with want.

He’d make this one fast. Make her feel what it was like to come over and over in quick succession.

Maybe then she’d never be able to leave.

A bear could hope at least.

Ares licked up over her clit, savoring her taste as she moaned loudly. Without waiting, he did it again and again, exploring and licking to find what was most sensitive for her. He swirled his tongue around it and slid over it, then up against it. With each stroke, he could hear his mate get more aroused. Could feel the orgasm building quickly inside her. The closer she got, the more his bear roared in approval.

He did it one last time, knowing she was so close now, and that did it. She screamed with wild abandon his name to the stars, and Ares was glad to know literally nobody lived for miles in every direction of this spot. Because the sound of his mate coming was for his ears only. He reached up, and she grabbed his hands, clenching down on them as she rode out her release and he savored the sight of his mate writhing before him, her luscious breasts bared to him and her eyes wide with pleasure.

Once she was finished, Ares immediately went over her center again, pulling the blanket covering them higher so she wouldn’t get cold, even though the night air was still the perfect temperature.

“Wait, again?” she said in shock. He licked over her, and she let out a long moan of approval.

I could make you go a million times, and it still wouldn’t be enough. I’ll always want to pleasure you, Kat.

This time he didn’t go slow, but worked right into a quick rhythm similar to before. Her orgasm built even quicker this time, her body responding to him and not holding back.

Ares couldn’t imagine what Zeus or Hades would say to what he was doing right now. They’d probably think it was foolish, him falling for a passerby with trouble on her heels. But his friends were both bears, and even they couldn’t deny the power of the call for one’s mate.

If he had to leave this place to be with her, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

With one final lick, Katrina went again, and this time her back arched off the ground. Ares came over her and wrapped an arm around her, holding her close as her body writhed and her arms flailed with powerful release. Ares burned the image into his memory, the kind of thing he could never tire of experiencing, but would still want to remember forever.

A few moments later, Katrina’s body slackened and her breathing resumed. She was warm and pleasured, and from the sound of it, exhausted. Ares moved to grab her bra and shirt, when she interrupted him.

“Sex, please,” she said, her voice hoarse but still full of want.

“Are you sure?” Ares asked carefully. No matter how hot that sounded, no matter how badly he wanted it, he refused to push his woman’s limits for one night.

“Please. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance with someone like you. I want… no,
need
to experience it with you before I leave. You make everything so good. I’d always regret not trying it with you.”

The words stung. The fact that she was still planning on leaving once the car was repaired brought him back to harsh reality. Already, he was so smitten by her, so in love with her that he didn’t know what he’d do with himself for the rest of his life if she did leave.

But for now, he wasn’t going to deny his mate what she needed. And all he could hope was the more they were together, the more likely she’d be to stay.

“Whatever you want, honey,” Ares replied.

The worry of losing her quickly melted with the sight of her eyes eating him up as he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. He then undid his pants and slid them off, and with each article gone, Kat’s gaze grew greedier.

Ares knew he was attractive to human women, but until now, no amount of leering or petitions or requests had any effect on him. But seeing Kat practically licking her lips at the sight of him, this woman whom he would give everything to if she but let him, was all he needed.