Billionbear and Pair of Bears Boxed Set: BBW and Menage Bear Shifter Romance (13 page)

“Could you really have used that, if anyone had come in?” Paisley asked curiously.

“I could’ve fired it, sure. I don’t know if I would’ve hit anything. My hands were numb. I was afraid I’d drop it, so I hung on with all my strength. Now my fingers are asleep.” He shook his hand out, wincing.

“Here, let me help.” Paisley caught his hand in hers and began massaging it.

“Thanks.” He lay back in her arms with a sigh of relief.

His hand was heavy and warm between hers. As she rubbed it, her attention was drawn to its every detail: the big knuckles flecked with white scars, the close-trimmed fingernails, the bronzed skin on the back shading to pink on the palms, the thick muscle of his wrist.

Paisley’s breath caught. She wanted to have that hand caressing her. She wanted to put his fingers in her mouth. She wanted him to lay his hand between her thighs and stroke her till she came.

Until that instant, she’d completely forgotten that she was naked. Now she couldn’t think of anything else. Hot desire flooded her as she became abruptly aware of every bit of Eli’s body that touched hers, aware of his scent and the heat of his skin, the silky touch of his hair against her arm, the accelerating beat of her heart and his, the slick warmth of her own wetness...

Eli’s grip locked down on her hand, crushingly tight. He twisted to look up at her, his eyes blazing like blue flames. “Paisley—”

Then he abruptly scrambled out of her lap and jumped to his feet. As she watched, perplexed, he backed all the way up to the opposite wall.

Even that small distance between them felt like miles. Paisley jumped up as well and ran to him, drawn like a magnet.

“What’s the matter?” She caught his hand.

Touching Jackson in the office had been like bursting into flames. Touching Eli now was like getting hit by a tidal wave. She gasped, her hand clenching over his, dizzy from the renewed surge of desire.

Eli’s voice was low and rough. “Paisley, I was too sick for it to happen before, but it does things to me when you touch me now. I’ve got a gallon of adrenaline running through my veins. You’re my mate— when you touch me like that, it’s like lighting a stick of fucking dynamite. But I know you don’t even want to
talk
about mates— You don’t want me—”

“Eli—” Paisley began, but he was already talking over her.

“You’re naked— God! I can feel the heat coming off your body. I can
smell
you. It’s driving me crazy. I can’t think of anything but having you, right here, right now. But I know you don’t want that, so back off!” He wrenched away from her, his jaw clenching like it took a tremendous effort.

Paisley was so desperate for him, she could barely think straight. He wasn’t the only one who had a gallon of adrenaline to burn off.

She grabbed him by the wrist, ignoring his warning growl. “I know what I said before. I changed my mind. I do want it. I want
you
.”

Eli moved faster than her eye could follow. Next thing Paisley knew, she was in his arms. His strong grip lifted her off her feet, and then he was kissing her with a fierce passion. The stubble on his face scratched her skin, and his grip was hard and bruising.

Paisley wasn’t in the mood for gentleness either. Her cat was close beneath her skin. She ran her fingers over his sweat-slippery skin, then dug her nails into his back, instinctively trying to mark him with her claws. He caught his breath, then kissed her harder and swung her around, pushing her up against the wall.

She gasped from the impact, but it didn’t hurt. His hands were rough and urgent, squeezing her shoulders, caressing her face, her breasts, her sides, any part of her he could reach. She grabbed a handful of his hair, her fingers tangling in its damp smoothness, and pulled his head down to kiss her again.

The cloth of his shirt was getting in her way. His jeans were a barrier between her and him. She dragged it over his head, then pressed up against it, rubbing her breasts against his chest. She could feel his scars against her own soft skin.

With a growl, Eli kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jeans and underwear. Then they were naked together, stripped down to the skin. She could feel the heat coming off his body, too. His scent surrounded her. Blood hammered in her ears. A wildness was in her, and she sensed the same primal desire in him. He’d almost died in her arms. She had to taste the fierce rawness of life, of sex, of breath, to convince herself that he really was alive, that she really had saved him.

“Here.” He caught her hand, pressing it against her throat. She could feel the steady pulse of his life beneath her fingers.

Then he moved his hand down, sinking his fingers into her slippery wetness. His fingers slid back and forth, leaving her gasping and shaking. His hand was steady, but she could see that it was taking an effort. Like her, he seemed on the verge of losing control.

“Come on!” Paisley gasped, barely knowing what she was saying. “Get closer. I want you inside me.”

“Twist my arm,” Eli said, with a flash of a heart-stopping grin. “Hang on. I have a condom in my pants pocket.”

“I’m on the pill,” Paisley said.

Eli picked her up as easily as if she weighed nothing. He held her with one arm around her back and one under her hips. The steely girth of his erection pressed against her thighs. She clasped her arms around his back. Sweat slicked their skin.

Paisley’s face was turned into the space between Eli’s shoulder and throat; damp strands of his hair fell against her forehead. She licked his throat, tasting the salt of his sweat. She could feel the beating of his heart against her chest. Paisley kissed along the elegant arch of his collarbone, and discovered a ridge where it had been once been broken.

Raising her head, she whispered, “I do want you, Eli. Never think I don’t.”

“I know.” He kissed her, his lips soft and hot against hers. “I know that now.”

Eli pushed into her, joining them together. She sucked in a breath at the intensity of it. The sensation echoed through her like the shock she’d had when she’d first touched his hand: a searing jolt of desire and fulfillment. Paisley was abruptly on the edge of orgasm, her entire being focused on the feeling of
almost there
. He thrust inside her, kissing her, holding her up with his astonishing strength, pulling her closer to him, closer to coming, until she was falling over the edge, weightless and joyous and free.

When Paisley came back to herself, sound and touch and hearing and memory fading back into her awareness, she found that he had set her down. They were both lying on the floor, clasped in each other’s arms. Eli lay still, more relaxed than she’d ever seen him before. Paisley bet he could be on his feet and fighting in the blink of an eye if he needed to, though.

For a few minutes, she simply enjoyed the afterglow. But then doubt crept into her mind. Just like sex with Jackson, sex with Eli had been wonderful and intimate, but left her feeling vulnerable and off-balance. She’d shared something with both men that had changed her, and she didn’t know where it would lead.

“Did you know we were going to have sex before we even came here?” she asked.

“No, of course not.”

“But the condom,” Paisley pointed out.

Eli chuckled. “I always have one on me. It’s a guy thing.”

“Jackson didn’t.”

“Did you and he...?” His tone was curious, non-judgmental.

“Yeah, we did. You said you wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t. He won’t either. It’s a bear thing.”

To Paisley’s relief, he didn’t follow up with questions she didn’t want to answer, like “So are you agreeing that we’re soulmates forever now?” or “Does this mean you’re in love with us?”

Instead, he raised himself on his elbows and pressed his mouth to the nape of Paisley’s neck. His lips lingered on her skin, his kiss hot and lazy as a summer afternoon. He could keep his mouth there forever, as far as she was concerned.

Forever.

Paisley tried not to tense up at the idea. All else aside, Eli would notice. But her thoughts spun like a wheel. She had no doubt that Eli and Jackson loved her. And the way she felt when she and Jackson laughed at the same time... The way she’d felt when she’d thought Eli was dying...

Paisley scowled, unable to deny her feelings. She did love them. She did want to be with them. If either of them died, she’d break like glass.

And that was exactly why she didn’t want to promise forever. There was no such thing. People
died
. They got shot. They got stuck with poisoned needles. Their airbags exploded. How could she ever risk loving anyone again, when she already knew what it felt like to lose the person you loved?

She had to think of something else, before she started crying or confided in Eli or did some other awful, irrevocable thing.

Something else. Anything else.

The mission!

She caught Eli’s hand and checked his watch. “We need to get dressed. Jackson should be just about ready to turn off the lasers.”

Paisley got up, went to the earbud Eli had left on the dummy, and held it to her ear. Before she could address Jackson, she heard a yell come through the earbud, then the sounds of a scuffle. Paisley urgently beckoned to Eli. He came over and pressed his cheek close to hers so they could both listen.

“Jackson!” Paisley whispered. “What’s going on?”

His voice came through clearly— he was wearing his earbud— but he didn’t reply directly. “I’m Special Agent Brandon Williams, and this is an FBI sting. You let me go right now, and you won’t face charges for assaulting a federal agent in the course of his job.”

“Oh, fuck.” Eli’s muscles tightened against her body. “One of us must have tripped an alarm.”

Paisley’s heart lurched as she heard an unfamiliar male voice, oily and unpleasant and mocking. “If you’re a federal agent, where’s your badge?”

“I’m undercover,” said Jackson.

Paisley jumped at the hard crack that came over the mike.

Eli’s strong hand grabbed her shoulder. “Not a gunshot. They hit him with a gun.”

Paisley winced in sympathy, though she was relieved that at least Jackson hadn’t been shot.

“Jackson, stall them,” Eli said. “We’re on our way.”

Over her earbud, the man spoke again. “How many of you are there?”

“Just me.” Jackson sounded cool and offhand, but Paisley could only imagine what he must be feeling.

“Try again,” said the man. “Alarms are going off all over the building. Where’s the rest of your crew?”

“It’s just me,” Jackson repeated. “One hacker can do an amazing amount with a good computer system. Yours is excellent.”

Another hard crack. This time she heard Jackson’s grunt of pain.

Paisley turned to Eli. “Can’t he turn into a bear and bite their heads off?”

“Not a good idea,” Eli said regretfully. “A dishonest military equipment company is the last place you want to have finding out that shifters exist. Right now, he’s in danger of being killed. If they knew he was a shifter, he’d be in danger of being locked up and experimented on for the rest of his life. I know what I’d rather risk.”

Paisley shuddered. “Me too. How do we rescue him?”

Eli frowned, his fists clenching. “Wish I knew how much of the security they’ve turned back on. Well, we’ve got to risk it. I’ll take—”

A different man’s voice spoke. “Hey. What’s that in his ear?”

A loud rustle sounded, and then the oily man’s voice spoke again— directly into the mike. “Ah-ha. Hello there. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

Eli’s blue eyes met Paisley’s. She knew him well enough now to know that the cool stillness that settled over him was the calm before the storm.

He took the earbud from her and put it into his ear. “I guess you’ve got the laser trip wires turned back on, huh?”

A pause. Still holding her gaze, he nodded. “Fine. Let’s negotiate a surrender. I want me and my partner released unhurt at the end of this. But first, I want to bring some samples of the armor up to the office, and have you show me
exactly
how I put it on wrong.”

Paisley wished they’d had time to actually discuss a plan, but she had a pretty good idea what he had in mind. She pointed at the cat-sized ventilation duct she’d crawled in from.

Eli nodded, mouthing, “Good luck.”  Then he mimed clawing.

Paisley felt a fierce grin settle over her face. It remained as bared teeth as she became a cat.

“Yeah. I’m
that
guy.” Eli paused, listening. “No, we just wanted to make a point. If you can demonstrate that the armor works when it’s used as directed, we’ll walk away.” Eli paused again. “Glad we’re on the same page. I’m in R&D. Nice trap you’ve got on the body armor, by the way. What is it, a tranquilizer dart?”

He crouched and hid the empty antidote syringe under a dummy. Paisley leaped into the duct. As she bolted into the darkness, she heard Eli replacing the first screw on its screen.

Air burned in Paisley’s lungs as she ran faster than she had ever run before. Now she knew long it took to go through the maze of ventilation shafts between the room Eli was in, and the room where Jackson was being held hostage. She didn’t believe for an instant that SmartDefense intended to negotiate a surrender. They just wanted to get Eli up to the room so they could interrogate him, and then they’d kill him and Jackson.

Paisley was their ace in the hole. She had to get there before Eli and Jackson had to choose between fighting against terrible odds, or revealing the existence of werebears to the worst possible people.

Bright spots danced before Paisley’s eyes by the time she reached the screen in the office wall. She sank down behind it, panting, and peered out, safe in the knowledge that no on the room could see into the duct.

Eli was already in the office, held firmly between two big guards. A pile of bulletproof vests lay on the floor nearby. Reed must have agreed to the demand Eli had made in R&D, and attempted to lull his suspicions by letting him bring up samples.

Four more guards stood with guns aimed and ready. Two of them were guarding Eli, and two were guarding Jackson.

Paisley barely stopped herself from screaming with fury at the sight of Jackson. He sat on the floor with his back to the wall, his face bruised and battered. Blood had run down his face and soaked into his white shirt. His eyes were half-closed, and he leaned his head against the wall as if he couldn’t hold it up by himself.