Her Wild Bear (9 page)

“And now that thing has my girlfriend.”

Gary nodded. “This is why you can’t go after her yourself; it’s way too dangerous. The massacre at the campsite wasn’t the first time this thing has attacked people. It’s not even the most brutal killing. It relishes the blood, but never bothers to eat the kill.”

A dull roar in Kyle’s ears drowned out the murmuring men in the room. “Has it ever kidnapped someone like this before?”

Gary grimaced. He glanced at Kyle, then turned sharply away. “No,” he muttered. “This is the first time it’s ever taken someone alive. And I shudder to imagine the reason. We have no idea what we’re going to find when we get to the cabin today, if we find anything left at all. This thing is depraved and heartless, Kyle, and it won’t let us rescue your girl without a fight — if she’s even still there to be rescued. You should prepare yourself for just about anything.”

Kyle’s skin turned clammy and he felt his face go pale. He stared around at the small group of men, his knees going weak beneath him. “Are we… are we going to succeed with this?” His voice faltered.

Gary shrugged, but he set his jaw determinedly. “We have no choice but to succeed. Still, there’s no guarantee we’ll all make it back. People are probably going to die today.” He looked over to Kyle and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “But your task isn’t to fight this thing. The way I understand it, you just need to make certain that your girl knows it’s safe with us, nothing more. The rest of us will take care of the battle.”

Gary took a long gulp of his coffee, his eyes fixing hard on Edward. “I’ve heard news that the rangers are out with her parents. Your girl’s friends led them to the campsite, and they’re fanning out from there. At the pace they’re moving it will be days still before they’re anywhere near the cabin — I hope. God help them if they get there first.”

Thomas gave an abrupt whooping call. Gary clenched his teeth and stood up. “It looks like this is it, Kyle. We’re moving out.”

Nervous spikes stuck in Kyle’s gut. He watched as Thomas pulled out a backpack and stuffed two bottles of whiskey into it, along with some newspaper. Then he grabbed a bag full of baseball bats, swung it over one shoulder, and burst from the room.

Kyle felt a burning weight in the pit of his stomach. He struggled to not think about what he was doing, and poured the rest of his coffee into the sink.

Chapter 15

Tawny woke as the sun crept in through rugged cracks in the walls. She lay there alone in the bed, still naked, listening to see if she could hear him. Then the familiar thud echoed out and she grinned.

She climbed out from the warmth of the covers and pulled her clothes on. She sauntered onto the porch, swinging lazily from one of the posts as she watched Matt throwing his knives. He cocked his arm back, eyeing the log, and thrust the knife forward.

It missed entirely, falling uselessly into the tall grasses beyond.

“You’re really bad at that,” Tawny said with a laugh. She stumbled down the steps and he greeted her with a soft kiss.

“I’m determined to get better, though,” Matt retorted. “That must count for something.”

“I’m sure the log appreciates the thought,” Tawny sniggered. “You know what? Maybe you just need to learn to focus.”

“I’m sure that’s it,” Matt said as he rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious!” Tawny blurted out. “Here.” She untied her pants and wriggled out of them. Tossing them to the ground, she perched herself on a thick stump, her knees pulled up and spread wide. She smiled from the feel of the soft breeze tickling her little hairs and Matt’s hungry expression as he stared at her. “If you can learn to focus only on the knives, and completely ignore everything else, you’ll succeed at it. And if you can ignore an invitation like this one, you can ignore anything.”

“Sure.” Matt choked the word out, his eyes riveted to her exposed pussy.

Tawny’s heart pounded furiously as he stared at her. She reached down and gently spread her lips wider with her fingers. She subdued a nervous laugh as his eyes widened eagerly. “Now, focus only on the knives. Nothing else exists — only the knives. Let’s see what you can do.”

Matt grumbled to himself as he picked up a knife and took aim. He glanced over at Tawny, his gaze traveling down along her creamy thighs.

“Uh-uh,” she chided him. “Only the knives exist.” Her clit began to throb with excitement.

She could see sweat forming on his face as he turned back to study the log. He took careful aim, and the knife slashed through the air.

Tawny squealed in surprise as the blade sank deep into a tree, springing straight out. “You did it!” she cried.

But Matt stood and stared at it in dismay, his shoulders hunched forward. “I wasn’t aiming for the tree,” he moaned. He looked over at her, his face gloomy, but his eyes searching her body. “There’s no way I can focus on anything if you’re exposing yourself to me like that. I know that’s not what you want me to say, but it’s the way it is.”

“Actually,” Tawny disagreed with a glowing grin, “That’s exactly what I want you to say.”

She spread her knees a little bit more and fluffed her fur for him with her fingers. She watched Matt’s eyes as they roamed her body, his mounting ache showing in his face. She waited patiently until his eyes met hers, and she held his gaze.

“Kiss me,” she breathed.

His chest heaved out as he sucked in a deep breath. His body tensed as he approached her, and she held her legs wide as he bent down and pressed his mouth against hers, resting a warm hand high on her thigh. He drank her in, pouring his heart into her as they kissed. Gently he cupped a hand behind her head, cradling her to him. The world swam in blissful warmth as she tasted him tasting her.

He drew back, their eyes seeming to reach into each other’s souls. “How was that?” he whispered.

“That,” Tawny gasped, “was absolutely incredible. But... that’s not where I wanted you to kiss me.”

His brow furrowed briefly in confusion until she glanced coyly down between her legs.

“Ah,” he chuckled. He looked at her reluctantly, down at her pussy, then her face. She held her legs open, her labia begging for his attention. At last he smiled and shrugged, stepped around to her feet, and knelt on his knees.

Hot shivers tumbled through her as Tawny felt his taunting kisses moving slowly up along her calves, working teasingly over her knees. His fingers played up along her thigh until he reached her soft wisps. He tickled her relentlessly and Tawny found it hard not to wriggle too far from his touch.

As his mouth worked up along her leg he squeezed at her engorged lips with his fingertips. She gasped, her heart skipping, as he forced a finger deep inside of her, touching her tenderness.

He drew back, his eyes fixed hard on her exposed parts. Tawny felt a sudden embarrassment, her vulnerability rising swiftly to the surface. She clenched her knees together, and shoved a shaking hand down over her little mound.

But Matt slid his warm hands between her legs and pushed them open. His face resolved and hungry, he pulled her hand away from her pussy and held it to her side as he stared eagerly at her. Tawny could feel her insides trembling with desire and fear. As his eyes examined her she tensed, and she could feel her pussy clenching and releasing as he watched, captivated. Finally, as her humiliation engulfed her, he leaned in.

Her breath heaved in her chest, her heart racing as his lips crept along her inner thighs with hot, moist tenderness. A ticklish excitement began to boil inside her, and she could feel her pussy already starting to pulse and ache as he reached her hip. He crouched low, his face so close to her that his breath tousled her fur, and she clenched her jaw with anticipation.

The world toppled into oblivion as his mouth pressed over her pussy. All she knew was the sweet delirium of rapture that burned through her as his tongue slid between her lips and over her pulsing clitoris. He sucked her parts into his mouth, tugging at them, licking at them with his tongue. A flood of delight poured into her and she looked down to watch as his face buried in between her quivering thighs.

He sucked vigorously at her clit and she squealed in helpless elation. As her body rose involuntarily into pounding exhilaration, she reached a hand down and grabbed at his hair. Her world spun faster and faster in delectable pleasure until, with a scream, she exploded in the waves of her climax.

As Tawny’s body shuddered, Matt kissed at her legs softly, his gentle lips easing her tenderly down from her orgasm. She gasped for air, gratitude spilling from her in rumbling giggles. She held him there, his face in her hair, until her body fell limp in weak contentment to the cool grass around the stump. She lay there, blissfully helpless, as Matt fondled her body lustily. He slid his hands up under her shirt, pawing and groping at her breasts as he nuzzled his face against her flushed neck. Then he wriggled from his pants and crawled on top of her.

His hard penis played teasingly between her lips for several long moments before pushing its way deep inside. It filled her, and even amid her drunken stupor she had to arch her back as she accommodated his gratifying size. He clutched at her as he thrust in and out, the tip of him nearly pulling from her with each stroke. Tawny managed to weakly wrap her arms around him and lovingly caressed his strong back until he tensed and shook in satisfying ejaculation. His muscles relaxed, and he trembled as he braced himself over her on his elbows.

Tawny grinned as his hot breath tickled the little hairs on her neck. She ran her hands down past the small of his back and over the top of his butt, giving him a playful squeeze. After a minute she felt him softening, and a minute later he slid out, his body still perched above her.

The spinning world slowed to a stop and the forest came into focus once more. “How about breakfast?” Tawny asked. “I’m starved.”

Matt rolled off of her with a warm chuckle, pulling his pants back on. “I could eat,” he agreed.

“Can I catch a fish for breakfast?” Tawny asked. “I’d really like to try catching one.”

Matt stifled a snicker. “Do you have a fishing pole?”

“No,” she said. “Do you?”

Matt shook his head slowly. “I don’t. How do you plan to catch one?”

Tawny’s face scrunched inquisitively. “How do you catch fish? Don’t you just spear them?”

“Sometimes, but not usually,” Matt admitted. “But it’s much harder than it looks. It takes a lot of practice to learn to spear fish.”

“How do you usually fish?” Tawny persisted.

It was a struggle for Matt to keep from squirming. He stared into the sky, considering how to answer. “It’s a trade secret,” he finally responded.

“Really?” Tawny smirked incredulously. “I’m serious; how do you catch fish without a pole or spearing them?”

Matt sighed. “I jump in after them,” he finally answered. “I’m experienced and quick enough to grab them with my hands.”

“Seriously?” Tawny’s eyebrows raised. “That’s impressive.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Matt laughed. “There’s no way you’d catch one — no offense.”

“Maybe I have a trade secret of my own,” Tawny suggested.

“Do you?”

She grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do. I learned some survival techniques from my dad. I can catch a fish with a few sticks.”

“Sticks?” Matt asked, rolling his eyes. “How do you do that?”

“Well,” Tawny explained, “a fish can’t swim backwards. If you take some sticks and shove them into the mud around the bank of a river to form some walls, you can build a little trap. You make a kind of short maze, where the fish goes in after some bait and then gets stuck because he can’t turn around.”

Matt grinned. “That’s a ridiculous amount of work when the fish is just swimming around, waiting to be pulled out of the water.”

“For you, maybe. But I need a way to trap him.”

Tawny rolled onto her side, reaching out to fiddle absently with Matt’s hair. “You know, you should be nicer to me instead of making fun. Now you’re going to need to make it up to me. I suppose you’re not the type to get a girl flowers, huh? You’re probably not one for romance.”

Matt looked over into her eyes and watched her study him. “I actually don’t really know,” Matt said with a sigh. “To be honest, I haven’t really courted a girl before. I mean, you and I sort of skipped that part entirely.”

“‘Courted’?” Tawny laughed. “What century are you from, anyhow?”

“Well, what would you call it?” Matt reached an arm around Tawny and pulled her onto him. She laid her head gently into his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“Dating?” Tawny suggested. “I guess I would call it dating.”

They lay together in silence as the morning took form around them. As the sun began to warm Tawny’s naked legs, she pushed herself to her feet and put her pants back on.

“I’ve got an idea,” Matt offered as he stood up. “I know a great place for breakfast, and a little romance as well.”

Tawny gave him an inquisitive glance, but he took her hand without another word and led her up along an overgrown animal trail that wound through the towering trees. Soon they came out into a small meadow and Tawny’s breath caught in her chest as she looked around at the tall grasses.

“Are you thirsty?” Matt asked, motioning for her to follow him around a little knoll.

She walked behind him timidly, her eyes widening as she saw the bubbling little waterfall that tumbled into a creek below. She watched as Matt drank, cupping his hands to capture the water and sucking it out. She reached into the falling water. It was icy on her skin. She drank in several gulps, amazed at how delicious and crisp it was.

“And if you look, you’ll notice there’s berry bushes up along the other bank,” Matt pointed out. “There’s black raspberries, salmon berries, and huckleberries. But the huckleberries aren’t ripe yet.”

Tawny stared up at the thick bushes. After a minute she noticed the small dark bunches hanging on the vines.

“Or,” Matt offered with a shrug, “there are some apples just starting to ripen on those trees over there.”