Bear With Me: Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (5 page)

“I can understand why,” Mark said. He turned his head, staring back in the direction of his feathery attackers.

Jamie gasped. “Your face!”

He put one hand to the cheek he’d scraped when the bird—the condor—had dive-bombed him. His fingers came away tacky. He was still bleeding. “Oh, damn. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize ...”

“Well, that settles it,” Jamie interrupted him firmly. “Follow me. I’ll patch that up for you, and give you the lecture on the birds at the same time.” She started striding back towards her tent. Mark watched her, feeling as though he’d been hit over the head with the stupid stick.

“What are you waiting for? Come on!” Jamie ordered him firmly, and his legs kicked into gear.

* * *

JAMIE

Jamie tried not to think too hard about the extremely tall, extremely sexy man behind her. Mark. It was nice to be able to put a name to the face.

And it was nice to see his face.

And it was nice to see the rest of him.

When they first met, Mike had been dressed up for the wedding in a format suit, tie, the works. The tailored pants and jacket had done an amazing job outlining his strong frame, but he’d seemed uncomfortable in them. Here, dressed in hiking pants and shirt, slightly scruffy and with more than a little dirt on him, he looked…

Jamie knelt down in front of her tent, glad she was facing away from Mike so he couldn’t see the hot blush that blazed across her cheeks. The fact was, he looked great. She’d thought he was hot at the wedding, but here in the mountains?
Phew.

She quickly unzipped the tent and rummaged for her first-aid kit without looking back to check if he had followed her into the campsite.

He had.

God, that was weird. She hadn’t even looked, but she knew he was there. And it wasn’t that she was listening out for him—or that she
could
listen out for him. Now that he wasn’t being attacked by broody vultures, he moved through the undergrowth quietly and confidently.

She turned around, first aid kit in hand, and gulped. Mark had seated himself on the ground, leaning with his back against the log she used as a bench. He was so tall, she would be able to sit on the log next to him and their heads would be almost the same height.

The thought of sitting next to him, their bodies warm and close in the cool night, sent a shiver of anticipation down Jamie’s spine. She hefted the first-aid kit and told herself to stop being silly. What had happened at Kes’s wedding had been a, a weird(ly
incredible
) one-off. He was probably as uncomfortable as she was about their unexpected reunion.

Just ignore how hot he
is, she told herself sternly.
Come on, girl—less than a week in the wilderness and you’re ready to jump the first guy you see? Get a grip!

Jamie took a deep, not-particularly-calming breath and strode over to where Mark was sitting before she could wimp out. She put the light on the stump-table and sat down heavily beside him—too heavily. The log shifted under her sudden weight and almost sent her tumbling backwards. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and stopped her from falling.

Jamie looked up into deep, warm eyes.

“Thanks,” she said briskly, and looked away. Once again, she wished she had lit a campfire for the evening. At least that would give her an excuse for why her cheeks were suddenly burning.

Mark smiled softly. “I figure one of us injuring ourselves on the landscape tonight is embarrassing enough. Here, I can—” He reached out for the first aid kit.

Jamie pulled it away. “Don’t be silly,” she said, rummaging through for the antiseptic and bandages. “Just turn your head so the light’s on your cheek, please.”

He kept still under her hands, not even flinching when she washed bits of dirt and bark from the cut on his face. She moved her hand and felt his eyelashes flicker against her skin.

Jamie focused, very hard, on the bloody graze under her fingers. But as she gently cleansed the wound with antiseptic, and covered it with a white gauze bandage, it was hard to keep her attention from wandering.

She could feel heat coming off his body. He would be warm from walking, of course, but this seemed something more than that—like his body was a campfire, warm and inviting. Safe.

She fixed the bandage in place and smoothed the tape, her fingers lingering just too long on Mark’s face. Her own face was hot. And it wasn’t the only thing. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, caught alight from sitting so close to Mark, from touching him.

“I, um,” she mumbled.

She was meant to be giving him the lecture on condor nursery safety. Instead, she couldn’t help thinking that they were still sitting close enough that if she just leaned forwards…

She stood up. “So, uh … Have you eaten yet? I…”

Mark was looking up at her with a strange expression. Except it wasn’t strange, just unfamiliar. Jamie had seen lust on men’s faces before—but seldom directed at her.

Except for that one time, one week ago.

The electric restlessness she had felt since Kes’s wedding stilled, leaving a feeling of growing bliss in its wake.

She was standing just in front of him, and as he looked up at her she realized this meant her most sensitive parts were the same height as his head. A tingle of arousal shot straight up from between her legs and out her mouth as a soft, “
Oh
.”

“Jamie…” Mark’s voice was rough, almost raw with need.

Jamie’s mind spun. The logical side of her brain was thinking:
Again? Really?

The rest of her replied:
Oh, hell, yes.

She stood still, her own breath loud in her ears. Every cell in her body wanted her to fall forward, to collapse into this strong, mind-meltingly gorgeous man and let him have her way with her. Her imagination leaped ahead, thinking of what might happen, what he might do to her.

Which was—nothing. Mark was sitting still. Utterly still. He was looking at her as though she was the sexiest woman on Earth, as though he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. And he was clearly … Well. Even sitting down, she could see that he was hard. For her.

But he was holding himself back. She could see it in the tense muscles in his neck and arms, the way he was clutching the log like a lifeline.

“Jamie…” His voice was as strained as his body. “I feel like—we have a lot to talk about…”

On the one hand, yes,
Jamie thought.
On the other…

“Maybe later?” she breathed, and stepped forward.

He reached up to her, strong hands stroking up the sides of her legs and around to cup the curve of her ass. She moaned as her body thrilled under his touch. He pulled her closer to him, holding her tight.

“Oh, God, Jamie,” he groaned under his breath. “I want—do you?”

She almost laughed as she realized he was as tongue-tied as she was. No wonder they’d never got so far as exchanging names last time.

“
Yes
,” she cried, and then gasped as he pressed his face between her legs. She felt his mouth working against her through the layers of her panties and trousers. “Wait,” she panted, fighting with her fly. ”Please—”

His hands moved like lightning, and suddenly her trousers were undone. He pulled them down to her knees and held her close. His mouth was hot against her skin, kissing her legs, her hips, her—

“Oh-h-h,” she gasped as he pressed his lips against her clit. She reached out blindly, grabbing his hair for balance. He lapped at her greedily with fast, hard strokes. Both his hands were behind her now, gripping her hard, pulling her in and moving her so he could reach further, deeper inside her.

She was so slick and hot, so ready for him. She wound her fingers through his hair, shamelessly opening herself up to him. But it wasn’t enough.

“Mark—please—I need—”

The words had barely left her lips when he leaned back and pulled her down after him. She fell astride him, legs still tangled in her trousers. He was still wearing his shirt. She dragged it off him, and ran her fingers down the hard muscles of his chest. He moaned and bucked against her.

She moved down, kicking off her shoes and trousers as she scrabbled at his belt. She could feel his cock straining underneath, hot and hard and ready. She rubbed her hand over it as she unzipped Mark’s fly and heard him groan in mingled pleasure and frustration.

His hands were all over her as she undressed him. Her arms, her breasts, her face—she caught one finger in her mouth and sucked it hard before pulling his boxers out of the way.

Mark’s cock sprung free, thick and hot under her. She wrapped one hand around it, relishing the feel of silky skin moving over hard, unyielding flesh. She remembered the feel of him inside her before and almost cried out from longing for it again.

Jamie knelt down and ran her tongue from the base of Mark’s cock to the tip in one long lick. She glanced up at him, eyes wicked.

“Don’t torture me,” he groaned. She straddled him and leaned forward, kissing him on the lips for the first time. As he teased his tongue against her mouth she lowered herself onto his cock.

She was so wet he slid into her easily, so smoothly it was as though her body didn’t realize just how big he was until he was fully inside her. Jamie gasped as she stretched around him. She could feel every inch of him—and while she might hurt in the morning, for now, this was
glorious
.

Mark moved his hands back around her waist as she leaned back, sitting astride him. She didn’t want to move, didn’t want to lose this incredible feeling of fullness, didn’t want to pull back even for a second. Instead she rolled her hips, feeling his cock press inside her. She let her head fall back. Tiny electric sparks of pleasure began to form deep inside her as she rode him, slowly, luxuriating in sensation.

Their rhythm became faster, two bodies moving as one. Jamie opened her eyes and saw Mark looking back at her. The idea of him watching her as she basked in the feeling of his cock inside her sent a fresh wave of arousal roaring through Jamie. She put her hands against his chest and moved her weight, lifting herself up off his cock and then pushing down again. He met her thrust for thrust, eyes locked on to hers. The world shrunk down to nothing but their two bodies, entwined together, moving together, and Jamie’s orgasm hit her like an avalanche. She cried out as pleasure burst through her, filling her body and mind with white-hot ecstasy.

Jamie felt Mark’s cock twitch inside her and then his own moan of pleasure as he came under her, his orgasm flooding into hers. She stared down at him, panting. Every nerve in her body seemed to be on fire, still, even as the waves of her orgasm receded. She felt she could feel every bead of sweat on her body, every strand of her hair moving in the cool breeze that brushed across the mountainside.

And she could feel Mark, under her, inside her. Still warm, and strong, her bonfire man. She let herself fall forwards into his arms. Lying here on him, both of them still panting with exertion, his strong arms around her, Jamie felt safer than anything else in the world.

* * *

MARK

The sun was shining, birds were singing—or at least
skraaark–
ing
—
and Mark had found his mate.

He dived into the river, barely feeling the chill of the water through his thick pelt. He’d padded a fair way upstream from Jamie’s camp until he found this fishing spot, where the river widened and formed a few deep pools as it wound down the hillside. He could almost smell the fish—all he needed to do was land a few, and bam, back to camp to wake Jamie up with a cooked breakfast.

He surfaced and huffed out a spray of water. A silver flicker caught his eye. Trout! Mark moved into the shallows and stood still, waiting for one of the silvery fish to venture out. The air above the water was swarming with flying bugs this early in the morning, so it shouldn’t be too long before one of the trout swam out for a nibble.

Slap!

One massive paw struck out and flipped an unlucky fish onto the rocks. Mark killed it quickly and left it on the bank while he hunted out the rest of his planned meal. He had just grabbed a second fish in his jaws when he heard someone calling out.

“Mark? Is that you?”

It was Jamie. Mark froze. Jamie might be his mate, but she didn’t know he was a bear. Hell, she didn’t even know she was his mate. Just a guy she’d randomly hooked up with.

Twice.

Anyway, if she came around the corner and saw a brown bear flipping fish out of the stream next to a pile of Mark’s clothes, she would freak out.

Mark focused on his human body. Goodbye great big claws, awesome sense of smell, and warm coat. Hello bipedalism, patchy scruffy hair and opposable thumbs.

Oh, and nakedness.

Not that he hadn’t been naked as a bear, but it was different, as a human.

Jamie appeared around from behind a tree just as Mark finished transforming. She blinked down at him.

“Um?”

Mark was about to explain that he had come to catch breakfast, when he realized the fish was still dangling from his mouth. He grabbed it quickly in his human, opposable-thumbs-having hands.