The Bear's Virgin Darling (Honeypot Darlings Book 1) (12 page)

I don’t think he regrets going to help his brothers tonight. No, what he regrets is not seeing this for what it was: a nasty set-up.

“Micah,” I touch his shoulder, and Wyatt growls, but I shake my head at him. “Don’t get all territorial and caveman on me. If we’re going to do this thing, if I’m going to be yours, as you put it, then you know I’m going to be around your brothers sometimes. That means touching them and hugging them when I need it.”

“I know, baby.”

“Micah. Your laptop. It’s fine.”

“What?” His mouth drops open and his eyes sparkle, just a little, like he’s trying so hard not to get his hopes up, but he can’t quite help himself.

“I got it and your phone.” I point to the laptop on the chair. “I mean, it might have a little dirt on it ‘cause I kinda crawled through the grass, but-“

I’m cut off when Micah wraps his arms around me and holds me so tight I can’t breathe.

“Air,” I manage to say, and he releases me, but I feel good. Micah doesn’t turn me on the way Wyatt does. He doesn’t get me all hot and bothered, but he makes me feel loved and accepted, like I’m really part of their family.

Like I belong here.

“Hope, you’re fucking fantastic, do you know that?”

“Oh, and I got your phone. I used it to call 9-1-1.” I fish it out of my pocket and my hand hits something else.

The flash drive.

I’d completely forgotten.

“And this,” I press it into his hand and he looks at me. This time, his eyes tear up and I think this big, bad bear might just cry.

“Hope, you have no idea what this means to me. You just saved everything.”

“It was nothing,” I say.

Wyatt comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. Nuzzling my neck, he kisses me softly, and I’m hit with the realization that for the first time in many, many years, I’m home.

I’m home.

Wyatt

The power is out when we walk inside, but I can see pretty well in the dark. Call it shifter senses or whatever you want, but I’ve never been one to let darkness bother me. I move silently through the house, holding Hope close to my chest.

Can she hear my heart beating?

Does she know it beats only for her?

She’s shaking as I carry her and I can only imagine what she’s been through tonight. Getting the cattle back sucked. It took longer than we expected because it was dark and they were tired and scared. By the time we got back, we were so exhausted that we didn’t notice the smoke until we were almost at the house.

If I had smelled it sooner, if I’d been paying attention, I would have run.

Then maybe I could have been there for Hope.

She didn’t need to be rescued, my little darling. Oh, no. She’s much too brave to wait around for a prince to sweep her off her feet.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I whisper as we move through the house. I carry her down the hall to the back staircase, then upstairs to my bedroom. I kick open the door with my foot and gently set her down. My brothers are going to be occupied with the fire department and the police for awhile, but I still lock the door.

The last thing I want is an interruption. Not tonight.

“Hope,” I murmur, and she rushes into my arms and squeezes me.

“I was worried about you.”

“I was worried about you, too.”

“I was worried you’d come back, but that something had happened to you, Wyatt. I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”

She starts rambling, so I start kissing her instead. Immediately, her body relaxes in my arms. I stroke her long blonde hair and sweep my tongue over her lips, pulling a soft moan from her body.

As we kiss, I slowly move us backwards toward the bathroom. There’s a huge walk-in shower and I know we could both use some cleaning up. We’re cast into darkness with only a slim glimmer of moonlight shining through the window.

“Wyatt? I don’t want to take a shower in the dark.”

“Don’t worry, love.” I produce a couple of candles from a drawer and a lighter. Spreading them out on the counter, I light the candles. Soon the bathroom is aglow with flickering light, and Hope has never looked more beautiful.

“Let’s get you undressed.”

I reach for her shirt and pull it over her head. She blushes, but I kiss her cheeks.

“None of that, now. No modesty tonight.” I bite her ear playfully. “I want you wanton and ready for me, like you were in the cabin earlier.”

“That was fun,” she murmurs, and I wonder what thoughts are running through her head. We both know where tonight is headed and I’m very aware of the fact that she’s never done this before. I want it to be good for her. I want it to be perfect.

There’s no such thing as a perfect first time, but I plan to get as fucking close as possible for her.

Her nipples are pink and pebbled, hard and ready for me to kiss them. I oblige, biting each one softly before I pull down her pants and let them pile on the bathroom floor.

“Fuck. You’re so beautiful.”

She wiggles for a second, and I can tell she’s a little nervous, but I grab Hope’s hips and hold her in place. Leaning forward, I swipe my tongue over her slit and she moans.

“You taste delicious.”

“Please,” she murmurs. “Please.”

“What do you want, baby?” I can’t help but chuckle. There’s something pretty fantastic about the way she’s wiggling right now and I want a little more. I like to hear her moan my name. I like to hear her beg.

“More, please. Please, Wyatt.”

I kiss her softly between her legs.

“There you go. Is that what you wanted?”

She growls. She actually growls. For a human, she’s got the sound down perfectly.

“I want you to lick my pussy, Wyatt,” she sounds resigned, but needy, and I’m happy to give her what she wants.

“Just what I was hoping you’d say.” I grab her ass and yank her close to me, burying my face between her legs. I lick her pussy until she’s close, until her body tenses. Her breathing quickens and she’s whispering and moaning and begging for more. I tease her for just a few more minutes, loving the way she’s responding to me. Finally, I suck her clit into my mouth and Hope explodes, crying out as she comes for me.

I catch her in my arms before she can collapse and kiss her on the mouth.

“Taste yourself,” I murmur, and she licks my lips.

“I’ve never done that before,” she says.

“Tasted yourself?”

“Been licked like that.”

Again, I’m surprised by how much of an idiot her last boyfriend really is. I don’t tell her that right now, though. Instead, I turn on the water and begin rubbing her back as it warms up. Despite the power outage, we’ll still have hot water for awhile, thanks to our gas water heater. It won’t last forever, but hopefully one of my brothers called the electric company to figure out what’s going.

There wasn’t a storm, so my guess is that whoever started the fire also decided to cut the power lines. Why? I have no idea, but to be honest, it’s not really something I’m worried about right now. I’ll have plenty of time to worry about it tomorrow. Right now, I just want Hope.

We step into the shower together and I start kissing her again. After a minute, I release her so I can wash the dirt and smoke from her body. We’re quiet as I touch her, gently cleaning her hair and skin.

I’ve never done this with a woman and my heart feels so bright. Is this the feeling shifters have when they claim they’ve found their one true mate?

Is this what they feel like when they say they’re going to go crazy if they can’t live without her?

Is this what they mean when they say their life feels complete? That their hearts feel alive?

I’ve never considered myself to be a bad guy or a boring guy or an ordinary guy, but before Hope showed up, my life was pretty routine.

I worked with my brothers, I followed orders and dished them out, I kept my hands busy.

Now that she’s here, all I want to do is drown in her eyes.

Once we’re both clean, I turn off the water and we step out of the shower. I dry her body with a towel, careful to get her hair, then I lead her to the bedroom.

“I’m going to be a tangled mess,” she laughs, but I shake my head.

“Lie on the bed.”

She looks at me questioningly, and starts to get on her back.

“No, on your belly.” I rub her thigh, and Hope rolls over. Splayed out on my bed, I run my hands over her back and down to her bottom. Squeezing her, I lean down and nip at her soft cheeks.

“Oh!” She wiggles, but I swat her on the bottom lightly.

“Stay still, little one.” I get up and run to the bathroom. When I return, she’s still in place. “Good girl,” I murmur.

“What are you – oh! You’re brushing my hair!”

“I am. Is that okay with you?”

“I just didn’t expect it. Not after everything that’s happened tonight. I kind of thought tonight would be…”

“Rough and rowdy?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Oh, baby, trust me: I’m going to fuck you long and hard, but not tonight. Tonight is all about making your first time special.”

I finish brushing her long locks and she rolls back over. I prop up next to her on my elbow.

“Why aren’t you weird about me being a virgin?” She asks.

“Why would I be? Everyone starts out as a virgin.”

“It’s just that some people,” she hesitates.

“Your ex?”

“My ex…and others…always think it’s really weird that I’ve waited this long.”

“Why didn’t you and Jacob have sex?”

She looks over her shoulder at me. “You know his name?”

“When it comes to you, I know a lot, princess.”

“It just never happened, I suppose. At first, I wanted it to be special, and wanted to get to know him, but then…I don’t know. It’s not a religious thing. It just didn’t happen. We kind of decided that we’d wait until we were married, and once that happened, I never really thought about it. Jake and I kissed and made out, but it never got me horny.”

“Sounds like he was doing something wrong.”

“Yeah, my best friend.”

“Ouch.” I cringe. “Sorry, baby. That’s rough.”

“It’s okay. I’d like to say that I’m over it, but I’m not. It still hurts when I think about it, so I try not to think about it.”

“I don’t think you ever really get over something like that, honey, but that’s okay. As time goes on, the pain will diminish. Soon you won’t be thinking about it that much anymore. Soon you’ll only be thinking about me.”

“I’m already only thinking about you,” she whispers, and I push her onto her back and kiss her softly.

“Oh, Hope. I feel the exact same way.”

I take my time lavishing attention on every part of her body. I bite and nipple and tease until she grips my shoulders and asks me.

She fucking asks.

“Wyatt, will you fuck me now?”

“How can I say no to that, baby?”

I hover over Hope for far too long, just looking into her gorgeous eyes. I never thought I’d fall for a human. Not in a million years. Even when I was in the military, I never dated my coworkers unless they were shifters.

Never.

But with Hope, I don’t even care that she’s different. Hope’s differences make her stronger, better, and more beautiful to me.

I lean down and kiss her. At the same time, I plunge forward, claiming her innocence. She yelps briefly and I hold still inside of her, not moving. I keep kissing her, licking her lips, playing with her tongue. After a moment, I can feel her body relax, and she kisses me back.

Slowly, I begin to move forward.

“Fuck, Hope. You’re so fucking tight, baby.”

“I feel so…full.” I kiss her cheek, palm her breast, twist her nipple. She squeaks and I take her mouth again. She whispers against my mouth but I just keep kissing her, taking her over and over again.

“Baby, I’m not going to last long, but I want you to come with me.”

She shakes her head and pulls back.

“I don’t know if I can. Not again.”

“Oh baby.” I can’t help but smile at her innocence. “You sell yourself short.” I reach between us and begin rubbing her clit as I thrust into her. I know she’s probably sore, so I move slowly, but I can tell the second things start to feel good because her whole body tenses and her pussy grips me even tighter.

“Oh, Wyatt,” she murmurs. “Oh.” She closes her eyes and drops her hands. She’d been gripping my back tightly, but now she holds onto the bed sheets. She looks like she’s about to fly away and they’re the only thing keeping her grounded.

“Come for me, Hope. Come with me.”

A few seconds later, she explodes, crying out my name, and I join her. Everything goes dark for just a second as I have the biggest fucking orgasm of my life. It’s never been like this for me before and I know it’s because she’s the one I’m supposed to be with. She’s the one I’m supposed to share forever with.

My sweet darling Hope.

She’s my mate.