Tempted by the Bear - Complete (6 page)

T
ori

T
he blaring
of my phone alarm breaks through my sleepy fog, and I groan before I tap the screen to stop the noise. “No.”

The sarcastic voice of my roommate, Lucy, calls out. “Rise and shine.”

I burrow deeper into my covers and grasp at the lingering memory of my dream. A super-hot guy with dark hair and blue eyes was the star of my sexual fantasy. The one who’s been in my dreams for almost two years now. Sometimes he fades away for a while, like this past month. I smile because I’m happy to have my dream guy back. It’s the reason I decided to come to the University of Maine at Orono, even though my two triplet sisters picked Bowdoin.

Lucy says, “Tori!” She whips the covers off my body, and the cold air whisks my happy thoughts away. “You may be able to skip calculus, but I can’t. If I fail another class, I’m being cut off.”

“Fine. Make me coffee.” I climb out of the bed and shuffle over to my closet to retrieve my shower things. Lucy’s parents put their foot down about her latest grades, and she’s desperate, knowing her party days are numbered. Apparently she’d be forced to cut trees or something if she doesn’t get her act together. I’ve promised to tutor her through this class, but that girl doesn’t have the head for math. It’s going to be a long semester.

As my flip-flops slap against the tile hallway, my hip itches, and I scratch over the bone where my paw-print tattoo is. I got it before break, and when I get into the bathroom, I inspect it to make sure nothing’s wrong.
Huh.
It’s not red, but for a second it looks like it is pulsing.

Maybe it’s calling me.
I shake my head as I remember the woman who gave me my tattoo. The metal hooks holding a vinyl shower curtain rasp over the bar when I yank it open to flip on the water. She said the guy in my dreams was real and it was some freaky cosmic matchmaking thing. I still wonder what kind of drugs she was on when that theory came to her. As soon as I got inked, I was so out of there.

I step under the hot spray, and the aroma of dirt like from a garden makes me open my eyes to make sure I’m in the dorm bathroom.
Whoa.
I cup water in my hands and discover it’s normal. How strange. I shrug it off when I realize someone probably watered their half-dead plants in the shower.

When I return to my room, I notice a steaming cup of black coffee on my dresser. I grab it and gulp down a burning mouthful. While my dreams are welcome back in my life, the lack of restful sleep means I need more caffeine. “I’m going to live.”

“What’s with you? It’s not like you went out last night.”

“My dreams are back,” I say. I told Lucy about them after my strange encounter with the tattoo lady. She laughed along with me. But she doesn’t look so amused now. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just kind of weird they came back.” She’s smiling, but it’s not real.

I grin to relieve her worry. “Maybe I’m about to meet the mystery man in calculus. That would make the class so worth it.” I pull the towel off my wet hair as Lucy frowns. I add, “Dude, I’m not serious. That woman was cray.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not that. I’m just dreading Professor Gum.”

“Don’t.” I drag a comb through my hair as I glance in the mirror. Drops of moisture drip on my shirt to spread. “I’ll get you through this, and then you’ll never have to do math again.”

“If you do, I’ll love you forever.”

A button clicks as I turn on my blow-dryer, and hot air blasts at me. As I style my hair, I revisit my dream and burn the man’s face to memory. I’m not sure why I believe it, but I’m positive I’ll see him some day. And when I do, I want to be sure it’s the man of my dreams, because I’ve got some questions. Desire flickers in my belly.
Lots of questions.

My first one is, why am I here? As a female engineering major, I had a nice selection of colleges I could have attended, and everyone was shocked when I picked UMO. Sure, their curriculum is a good one, but it’s not the best. And then there was the issue of my parents’ alma mater. Thankfully, my two sisters decided to fulfill that obligation by attending the small exclusive school a few hours south of here.

Silence comforts my ears when I turn off the blow-dryer and fluff my hair. I grab my mascara, and the smooth wand handle is slippery in my fingers as I twist it open. I recall the day I toured campus as a prospective student. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace being here. As soon as we started to drive away, a dull ache filled me, and when I got home I experienced pain similar to what I felt when my dog died. A depression that disappeared the day I arrived last fall.
What the heck was that about?

I wiggle into my jeans. Yeah, dream guy. I’m going to need some answers when we meet. Lucy breaks into my thoughts with her words. “Five minutes. We need to go.”

I rush to finish getting ready and hop out the door as I pull on my boot. Lucy is walking briskly ahead of me, and I have to jog to catch up.

Once we get outside, the winter air bites through my thin shirt, and I yank my jacket shut and cross my arms over it to keep it that way. “You’re really nervous about this, aren’t you?”

Lucy glares at me. “You don’t get it. Math is my own personal hell. Calculus might as well be a lost language nobody can decipher.” She huffs. “I hate being stupid.”

“You’re not stupid. Seventy-five percent of the population doesn’t get high-level math either. I think that makes you normal.” Unlike your strange roommate who believes dream guys exist.

The whine of a band saw carries through the cold air, and hammering echoes. A dorm is being renovated, and I glance over at it.

“Really?”

A black Jeep pulls up and stops. “Yes, really.” My words come out automatically because I’m focused on the vehicle as if it’s hypnotized me. My tattoo is most definitely throbbing now, and when the car door opens, I gasp at the large man who climbs out. I stop in my tracks.
It’s him.

My roommate asks, “What are you doing?”

“I know that guy.”

“We don’t have time for this.” Lucy’s grip on my arm is so tight, it might leave a mark as she yanks at me.

I glance at her. She’s right. Professor Gum is known for punishing students who are late. I let her lead me toward the lecture hall as I glance over my shoulder.
Dream guy, I’ll be back later.
Because the tattoo woman was right. You are real.

I
sabelle

I
can’t get
Luke Robichaux out of my head. I crave his body more than I crave the thrill of a fresh hookup. The very idea that I might be falling for him strikes fear in my heart. The last thing I want is to be influenced by something as ridiculous as love. The only person who will get that sort of power over me will be my true mate, and it’s not Luke Robichaux.

I toss a sweater over my shoulder, and it lands on the floor behind me with a soft thump. A light rap on my door makes me growl out, “Come in.” I know it’s Tristan by the sound of his chuckle.

“Cranky doesn’t suit you.”

“Yeah? How about full-blown bitchy?” I shove the drawer in the bureau shut, and the wooden furniture shudders as it slams. “When we finally have money again, I’m going to have a decent wardrobe.”

“I’m sure my Annie would lend you something.”

“
Your
Annie?” Of course I knew that, because even the deaf could have heard their mating this morning. My toes curl as the recollection of my own screaming last night floods my brain. I hold my head and close my eyes as if I can squeeze all traces of Luke from memory. I let out a roar.

“Whoa. What’s wrong, Izzy?” Tristan’s large hands land on my shoulders, and I open my eyes to his concerned face.

“I’m going to Kick It with Carly to meet with Ian about a job, and I haven’t got anything suitable to wear.” Kick It is a martial arts studio that caters to werebear while maintaining a front for the human population.

My brother squints at me. “Why don’t you tell me what’s really bothering you?”

My pulse quickens. No way can I tell Tristan I’m struggling with my attraction for Luke. “How do you know when you’ve met your true mate?”

“Are you jealous of me and Annie?”

Maybe, but that’s not my problem. “No. More like curious.” I force out a laugh. “I want to be that happy someday.” I pull out my favorite long-sleeved T-shirt and decide that it’s dressed up enough for a gym.

“It’s like you’d expect.” Tristan picks up the sweater I threw earlier and begins to fold it. “The person invades your every thought, and you don’t mind. You want to be with them even if you just said goodbye.” He sets the garment on the bed and reaches for another. His eyes sparkle. He pauses as if he’s remembering something. “You find yourself wanting to do little things for them to see a smile.” My brother grins. “And the moment after you’ve said goodbye, you begin to count the minutes until you’ll see them again.”

He’s just described what I would imagine is his idea of hell. But when Tristan rakes his hand through his hair without worry of what it’ll do to his perfectly combed locks, I’m gobsmacked. My brother is in love. I was sure that wasn’t possible, even with a true mate attraction. “That must have been some amazing sex you had his morning.” Mating brings the bond to the forefront, and when the bite happens, the couple’s fate is sealed.
You didn’t!
“Did you bite Annie?”

Tristan sits on my bed and grabs a pair of my jeans. “I’m always amazing.” He zips them up and snaps the waistband shut. “But no, I didn’t bite her.” The denim snaps as he flicks them out in the air to release the wrinkles. “I
can’t
bite her. That would change everything, and I need to be in control.”

I snort. “Really? Because the way you’re acting right now, I don’t think you are able to help yourself.”

He glares at me, and I see the cold, calculating brother I’ve come to know. He sets down the pants, and the crease is razor sharp from his precision. Tristan says, “Make no mistake. Mating with Annie hasn’t changed anything.”

“If you say so. But love wouldn’t be such a bad thing, you know.” I slide into loose jeans that hang low on my waist. “For either of us.”

Tristan comes toward me and grips my arms. “Izzy, you are loved. By me.” He pulls me against his chest. “And I’m loved by you. That’s enough.”

I used to believe that it was. But since we got here, he’s been pulling away. I’m watching my brother struggle with wanting the one thing all werebear want–a true mate. Even though he knows it can’t be. My heart aches in sympathy that the love Tristan and I crave is the very thing he must sacrifice.

I step back before tears begin to burn in my eyes. Tristan has been strong for me all my life, and it’s time I returned the favor. “It’s not enough, and you know it.”

He grabs my hand and grips it tight. “It needs to be.”

I shake my head. “You do your part, and I’ll do mine.” I force a wink at him. “Because doing Luke Robichaux isn’t half bad.”

Annie calls up to us from the kitchen to announce lunch. The silly grin of love returns to Tristan’s face. The familiar sense of dread is heavy in my gut when I remember the day we discovered he and Annie were true mates. I knew then it changed everything, no matter how insistent Tristan was that it wouldn’t.

I watch my brother leave with a lightness in his step I didn’t know he possessed. I want to grab him and tell him to protect his heart. And I wonder how he’s going to manage when the love of his life discovers what we’ve done. Funny how a deal with the devil seems like a wise choice when faced with the threat of extinction. But it’s not so funny when the promises you make present you with a fresh new hell. I drag my hair up in a high ponytail, and the elastic snaps as I attach it. I gaze into the mirror at my high cheekbones and strong jaw.
Izzy, find your strength, girl.
Because Tristan’s days of protecting me are over. Now it’s my turn, because the future of the clan depends on me.

A
nnie

T
he knife clinks
against glass as I scoop out mustard for a sandwich. The scent of Tristan floats toward me, and a smile creeps on my face. Two large hands slap down on the counter as large arms trap me. I glance at the sleeves of his shirt that are rolled up on his muscular forearms. I recall how it was only a few days ago that the naked version of my mate did this, and I lean back to wiggle my butt in his groin.

His voice rumbles in my ear. “I thought you had to work.”

“I did. But I discovered they didn’t need me.” The girls who work for me in the retail shop are quite capable, and I couldn’t focus, so I decided to come back to my distraction.

Tristan moves hair from my neck and places a kiss on it below my earlobe. “I do.” He nips at me, and the scrape of his teeth makes my spine tingle. I want his bite with an intensity that almost consumes me.

I lean my head back and offer my neck up to him. He suckles my nape as his hands cover my breasts. “What if I bent you over the counter and took you right here? Would you scream for me?”

I whisper, “Yes.” He presses his palms hard against my torso as he drags his hands down. One stops at my hip, and the other cups my mound. Denim is a thick barrier between our flesh, and I whimper. I don’t know what’s holding me back, because it’s normal for new mates to spend weeks screwing any free chance they get. But most try not to do it in front of their families while they eat lunch. I grind my butt against his groin, and his erection tempts me to throw all social graces to the wind. I stop myself before I have to live with a long-running family joke about a meat counter.

I turn to face Tristan. “Laundry room. Now.” I grab his hand and tug him along behind me as I lead the way to the small area that doubles as a bathroom. When we enter, Tristan shuts the door behind him. The lock snicks shut, and he grins. I have a long counter for folding clothes, and it’s just the right height for his previous idea.

He reaches for my hips and turns me around so that he’s behind me. Nudging me forward, he presses against my bottom as he reaches for my waistband. “How close are you, love?”

My chest is heaving with short breaths as he pulls roughly, and my zipper rips open. “Very.” Denim abrades my skin as he yanks my jeans down to mid-thigh. A cool draft travels between my legs, and I let my pants fall to my ankles and step out, but it does nothing to tamp down the fire of my lust. Tristan pushes my shoulder so I’ll bend over. My breasts flatten on the cool laminate counter top, and I splay my arms out as the clash of a belt buckle sounds behind me while he undoes his pants.

He grips my hips hard and thrusts into me quickly. He hisses, “Dripping-wet ready.” A growl escapes from him, and he slams into me with force. I brace my hands against the wall and pump my hips into him. I want him to be deeper and say, “Fill me. Make me feel it.”

My mate’s fingers dig into my flesh, and I’m sure he’ll leave bruises. Our coupling is fast, and the moment my channel flexes with my release, Tristan’s low rumbling in his throat tells me he isn’t far behind. When he finishes, his trembling body slumps over me, and he squeezes me tight enough to hurt. He relaxes a bit, and teeth prick at my earlobe when he whispers, “It’s time.”

I nod, and the fabric of my blouse rips as he strips it from my shoulder to plunge his bear fangs into my flesh. The sensation is like an orgasm on steroids, and I shatter completely as I cry out his name.

He growls, “Mine,” as he thrusts into me again.

My pleasure has barely retreated before the wave comes back another time. Once it crests, I fall with it and say, “Yes. I’m yours.”

Tristan groans as he explodes in me, and his words reach all the way to my heart when he says, “And I’m yours.”

My legs are like jelly as I use the counter for support under my mate’s heavy weight. He laps at my blood and heals my wound. The area is sensitive, and each stroke of his tongue sends tiny aftershocks through me as he finishes. Hair is stuck to my neck, and he plucks it off my sweat-slicked skin to kiss me lightly. He repeats his earlier words as if he’s making sure we both heard. “I’m yours, Annie.” A sigh comes from him, and his voice is low enough only my bear ears can detect it. “Forever.”

My mate.
My true mate scoops me up and lifts me to sit on the counter. He stands between my legs and palms the back of my head as he gazes into my eyes. “I love you, Annie. No matter what happens, I will always love and protect you.”

I’m lost in the icy-blue depth of his eyes. They trap me in his love, and I say, “I love you too, Tristan.”

He kisses me gently, and we hold on to each other as if we don’t dare let go. I realize we have both found a savior. The De Rozier alpha now has a new place for his kingdom, and I get the family I’ve always craved.

Once we’ve recovered and I change into a new shirt, we emerge to go back to the kitchen. Carly and Isabelle are at the table. Carly has a smirk when she asks, “Hungry?”

Tristan hugs my shoulders with an arm as if he’s protecting me. “I think we satisfied our hunger. Now what’s for lunch?”

Isabelle’s eyes are hard as she stares at Tristan, and I wonder why she’s angry. Her chair almost topples over when she stands abruptly, and she moves to leave the kitchen. But Tristan grabs her arm. “Izzy! We need to talk.”

She yanks it away and spits out, “
Nothing’s changed.
Wrong, brother dear. Everything just did.”