Grin and Bear It (6 page)

Chapter
Eight

They’d
finished having drinks and dinner at the local bar and grille. The night had
gone so smoothly, so comfortably, that Mason knew without a doubt she was the
right female for him, even if his bear hadn’t already beaten that into his head.
They’d left the bar after being there for a couple of hours. Although they’d
talked about a lot of shit, and he’d gotten to know more about her, there were
things he hadn’t told her, hadn’t shown her.

She
might have been his nurse, knew that he’d gotten into the accident, but she
didn’t know that he was going to go after those fuckers, didn’t know he was
going to hurt them. He also wanted to show her who he really was, and that’s
what they were going to do now, what he was going to show her.

Mason
pulled his SUV to a stop off to the side of the road. He’d taken
Ryeissa
on the outskirts of town. After asking her if she
wanted to be taken home or to see what he really was, she’d just shaken her
head and said she didn’t want the night to end.

He’d
wanted to take her on his Harley for this date, to have his woman on the back
of his bike, but with the fact he still limped, was still healing, even if he
was almost back to how he felt before the accident, he didn’t want to take any
chances with her safety. Although this was the area that the club usually
partied when they wanted to be alone and not have the Originals around, he knew
no one would be out here right now.

“Ready?”
he asked
Ryeissa
and smiled at her. She was already
staring at him, and although it had been a short time since they’d actually
started this … whatever this was, he’d never felt more connected or close to a
woman than he did with her.

She
nodded.

Mason
had never been one for romancing a female, never even wanted to do anything but
fuck them. But
Ryeissa
was different. She was
different on every level, and it was such an incredible feeling.

He
climbed out of the SUV and went over to the passenger’s side door to help her
out. He would have never been called a gentleman, never even saw himself as the
kind of male that did anything chivalrous, but with
Ryeissa
he felt so damn different, and only in the best kind of way.

Opening
the door and grabbing onto her waist before she could say anything, Mason
helped her out of the car. But before he set her on the ground he held her
close to his body, felt the beating of her heart as her chest pressed to his.
He stared at her, looked into her blue eyes, at the fact she’d left her hair
down and with the wind blowing it created this hot fucking scene. Her blonde
hair moving along her shoulders and cheeks, the scent of her fruity shampoo
filling his nose … all of it had his cock hardening. But he didn’t bring her
here to fuck, although that was certainly on his mind. No, he’d brought her
here to show
Ryeissa
that he wasn’t just a man, but
an animal with every part of him.

“I
really want to kiss you,” he said in a deep, but low voice.

She
was breathing harder after he spoke, and he noticed that she looked down at his
lips. They hadn’t done more than brush along each other, despite how much he’d
wanted to kiss her, touch her, and do a hell of a lot of things to her that
were far from being gentlemanly, but that’s who he was.

“Then
why don’t you?” she asked just as softly.

“Because
I want to take things slow with you, do this right.”

She
lifted her gaze to his, and they stared at each other for several long seconds.
“Maybe I don’t want slow, Mason.”

He
groaned, his bear pushing forward, wanting to agree with her. The beast didn’t
want slow either, but the man wanted to make this last, didn’t want to scare
her away with how rough he could be.

“I
want to do this right because I’m not just a man,
Ryeissa
,
but an animal, too. I want you to fully know who and what I am before things—”
And before he could finish speaking she had her mouth on his.

With
her lips pressed to his, their breath mingling together, all Mason wanted to do
was … do everything with her. He pressed her back to the side of the SUV,
opened his mouth and took control of the kiss. He couldn’t help it, and neither
could his bear. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, securing her to his
body as he probed her mouth with his tongue. They stayed locked in that embrace
for several seconds, both panting, moaning, and getting lost in this kiss. He
was hard, so damn hard his cock ached, and his balls were drawn up tight. He
knew if he didn’t stop he’d lose all control. He finally pulled away, looking
at her, breathing hard, intense.

“Why’d
you stop?” she asked breathlessly.

“Because
if I didn’t I’d be liable to tear your clothes off and do things that you’re
probably not ready for.”

Her
eyes widened for a second, but the scent of her rising lust slammed into him.

“Believe
me, I want this, want you more than I’ve ever wanted a female, but I want to do
this right,
Ryeissa
.” He looked down at her chest,
his cock hard, throbbing. “I want to have my dick in you so fucking badly, but
if I don’t have control now I’m afraid I’ll screw things up with you in the
long run. I’m a bastard, but I don’t want to be one with you.”

She
swallowed, her throat working from the act, and then nodded.

He
set her on the ground, and pulling away from her was really hard, but he took
her hand and led her up the path that was a few feet from where he’d parked. It
wasn’t one that was used unless someone knew it was there, and the only people
that knew about it were the club, and of course those fuckers that had crashed
their party. Thinking about those assholes, knowing it was them that had him
laid up, had rage filling Mason, but he pushed it back. Right now was about him
and
Ryeissa
.

They
walked for several minutes, and when he cut through the trees and stepped into
the clearing where the ashes and stone of the bonfires they’d lit on more than
one occasion lay in ruins, he stopped and faced her.

She
looked around, the sun setting above them, sinking behind the trees, and
casting this golden glow along her hair.

“What
is this place? For parties?” she asked and turned to face him.

He
stared at her for a few seconds, but finally nodded. God, she was gorgeous.

“You
wanted to show me where you party? Did you bring any beer?” She smiled after
she said that, the teasing in her voice clear.

Mason
walked toward her, knowing he should go
slow
, but he
needed her close to him. He pulled her toward him and grew harder. “I’m a
monster,
Ryeissa
, an animal, and I want you to see
exactly what you’ll get if you decide to stay with me.”

I need you to stay with me, because
God help me if you walk away. I’ll destroy everything in my path to get you
back.

“I
want to show you my bear,
Ryeissa
.”

She
didn’t speak for several seconds, but he finally stepped back after she nodded.
His animal rose up, needing to come free, anticipating the time when he’d
finally come out.
Ryeissa
was his mate, he knew that,
felt it in his body, in his very cells, and it was time she saw him for the
male he truly was. “Are you sure you want to see this?”

She
nodded. “But can I admit I’m a little scared?”

He
inhaled deeply, smelled her fear, but also her curiosity.

“Don’t
be afraid. It won’t hurt you. I’d never hurt you,
Ryeissa
.”

She
nodded again and licked her lips.

“My
bear wants you, wants to let you see him, touch him, know that he’s here to
protect you, the same as my human side does.”

“I’ve
never seen a shifter in their animal form,” she said softly.

“I’m
showing you him because I want more from you. I want to be with you,
Ryeissa
, make you mine.” He moved an inch closer. “I want
to make you my old lady, my mate.”

“What
does that mean?”

She
wasn’t part of his world, and didn’t know what it meant to be an old lady.

“It
means you’re mine, you’ll only ever be mine.” He reached out and pushed a
strand of her hair away. “It means I won’t let you go, that you’ll be it for
me, forever,
Ryeissa
.”

“I
want that, too, Mason,” she said without hesitation, and he growled low, more
bear than human right now.

He
moved back, breathing in and out as he felt the shift try to overtake him. He
needed this, and he needed his woman to see it. Mason needed to shift for the
first time since his accident, and he wanted
Ryeissa
to see it, to watch him.

He
took off his cut and shirt, removed his pants and briefs, because if he was
going to do this he’d need his clothes to get dressed into afterward.

She
looked at his body, her eyes widening when she looked at his cock. He was hard,
there was no getting around that, and as much as he’d wanted to be like this
when they were in a bed and he was worshipping her body, this took precedence.

There
he stood, naked, ready. His body started to shift, his bear coming forward.
Skin tore, his muscles stretched and expanded, becoming bigger, more powerful.
He let the feral side of him come forward. Fur replaced flesh, and he grew to a
staggering height of over ten feet tall once on his hind legs. His hands and
feet became paws, his nails deadly claws. He stood before her, his bear now in
control.

Mason
focused on
Ryeissa
. Her eyes were still wide, and he
watched as she took several steps back, her fear coming forward. He stood
there, wanting to go to her, but letting her examine him, get used to this side
of him. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him. He never wanted that, but he
was a massive animal, his bear eliciting fear from everyone it came in contact
with. It was natural for her to be afraid, but he’d show her she never had to
have that reaction with him. He’d protect her at all costs.

When
she didn’t run off screaming in fear he lowered himself to all fours, still
stayed where he was, and kept his gaze on her. After a few moments of her just
watching him, looking him over as if trying to memorize every inch of him, she
took a step forward. She took another, and another, and when she was only a
foot from him he inhaled deeply. His human side was still there, still
conscious of what was happening, but it was his bear that had the power now.

He
huffed out and glanced down at the hand she slowly started to lift toward him.
He moved that foot that separated them, came closer to her, and moved his head
under her hand, butting against it.

“God,
Mason. Are you still in there?” She looked amazed, sounded like it as well.

He
made a sound deep in his throat, trying to let her know he was. Her fear slowly
started to fade, and he loved that she was accepting him.

“I
didn’t think you’d be this big, this powerful.” She speared her hand in his
neck fur and tugged lightly at the strands. “You’re so soft, Mason,” she
whispered, but smiled. “This is kind of crazy, you know that, right?”

He
would have smiled at her if he could. She sat down on the ground, and he
lowered his big body beside her. For several moments they just sat there, with
Ryeissa
smoothing her hands over his fur, moving her head
closer to his, and resting her cheek against his back.

“I
could stay like this, Mason, just letting all this power that comes from you
seep into me.” She pulled back from him, looked at him in the eyes. “I really
do care for you, Mason,” she said the last part softly.

He’d
protect her with his last breath, with everything in him. He growled out low,
ran his tongue along her opened palm, and before he couldn’t control his bear,
control his need to mark her in this form, he shifted back into a human.

They
sat there, both staring at each other, her breathing hitching. He watched her
as he got dressed. When he was dressed again and sitting in front of her he
knew he had to have her, but he wouldn’t push
Ryeissa
,
especially not after she just saw him shift.

“Kiss
me, Mason.”

He
groaned, thankful she’d brought it up, because he was going to do just that.

Chapter
Nine

It
had been such a short time since she’d fully realized that she and Mason could
actually be together in the way she wanted. It was crazy and strange, but felt
so right all in the same breath.
Ryeissa
didn’t want
this to stop, not even when she’d seen the massive bear that Mason housed
inside. She couldn’t lie and say that it didn’t frighten her, because it did.
But she’d also felt this warmth fill her that his animal had been gentle, soft
with her even.

“Touch
me, Mason, kiss me,” she said softly, needing him right now like she needed to
breathe.

He
was right in front of her in the next second, grabbed her nape, and pulled her
toward him. She braced her hands on his chest, feeling his hardness, needing it
pressed up against her.

His
body was hard, defined,
even
more so than when he was
in the hospital, it seemed. His tattoos made him look dangerous, violent, but
she knew he’d never hurt her.

“Kiss
me, Mason,” she whispered so low she didn’t even know if he heard her, but a
second later he had his lips on hers.
Ryeissa
tilted
her head and kissed him back with all the emotion he conjured inside of her. He
kissed her, licked her lips, her tongue. It was fierce and strong and had her
heart beating so hard it hurt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed
her body to his fully, needing to be as close as she could. The feel of his
hard chest, of his big erection probing her belly, sent a fresh wave of wetness
from her pussy.

He
used his upper body to press her to the ground, the grass beneath her soft. She
didn’t are that what was happening right now might be considered animalistic,
primal even. It felt incredible.

Once
he had her fully on her back, Mason rested his big body on hers and put his
hips between her thighs. He had all his clothes on, to her disappointment, and
the hard, steel-like erection pressed against her jean and panty covered pussy.
A moan spilled from her at the intimate contact, and at the fact he was kissing
her like a man possessed, that he was fucking her mouth with his lips and
tongue.

What
would it feel like to have his bare flesh against hers, dominating her, using
all that strength? She lifted her hands and speared her fingers in his short
dark hair, pulling him closer. His warm, wet tongue slid along hers, stroking,
mimicking the exact sexual act she wished they were doing right now.

And
when he started a slow and steady thrust of his hips against hers she thought
she’d lose her mind. Panting against his mouth and lifting her hips,
Ryeissa
wanted to get
closer
, as
close as two people could get.

“You
feel so damn good beneath me,” he said against her mouth, and then started
kissing her harder. “I want to feel every part of you, want to own you.”

“I
want that, Mason.”

He
slid his hand down her side, never stopping the kiss or pulling away. And as he
fucked her mouth, which there was no other way to describe what he was doing,
he started unbuttoning her pants. She held him tighter when she heard him undo
the zipper of her jeans, and she lifted her ass to help him pull them down and
past her knees.

He
was so hard, like he had a steel rod behind the fly of his pants.

“Are
you sure you want me to touch you?”

“I’ve
never been
more sure
of anything, Mason,” she said
against his mouth, and then started kissing him harder.

He
groaned and moved his hand down her leg, and pushed her pants and panties down
a little further. Then he trailed his fingers back up her leg, but moved back
down again so he could help her take off her pants. One of her legs was still
in the pants, but not being obstructed in her movements anymore she was able to
spread her legs as wide as they could go.

She
gasped against his mouth when she felt his erection against her thigh and his
fingers on her bare mound.

He
brushed his finger along the crease where her leg met her pussy, teasing her,
but tormenting her all in the same breath. Heat surrounded them, causing
rivulets of sweat to bead between her breasts and on her forehead. They tilted
their heads at the same time, their tongues delving against the other, deeper,
with more passion.

“You
taste so good, baby. I could get lost in you.” He trailed his lips over her jaw
and down her neck to where her pulse beat frantically at the base of her
throat. Removing his hand from between her thighs and placing it by her head,
Mason rested his body back on hers. The bulge of his cock pressing against his
jeans, nudging at her pussy, had another gasp leaving her.

He
started a slow, steady press of his hardness against her, dry humping her until
she felt her pussy become so wet it was unbearable.

“Touch
me again.” She tugged at his hair. “Kiss me again, Mason.”

He
groaned against her neck, his body tense, his cock jerking against her pussy,
and his breathing ragged.

She
lifted her hips, hoping he would appease her, and stop tormenting her with this
pleasure/pain. It didn’t matter that she begged him for this, because she was
past the point of being shy and embarrassed by her actions and words.
Ryeissa
rose up slightly and pressed her breasts harder
against his chest, her nipples tight and sensitive, and rubbing against the
fabric of her bra and his hard muscles.

“I
should stop.”

“No,
you shouldn’t, Mason.”

He
groaned.

He
moved his hand back between their bodies, touching her thigh, right beside her
pussy, but not giving her what she desperately needed. It was like he held
himself back, maybe thinking he was going too far, too fast?

“Touch
me,” she moaned, begging.

When
he finally let his fingers slip along her wet slit she bit her lip and moaned
loudly, so loud she knew if anyone was close they could have easily heard it.
The force of his shaking body atop hers could have rivaled an earthquake, and
the low growls he made told her his bear was still right there.

Sliding
his fingers up her cleft to her clit, he rubbed the engorged bud back and
forth, causing her to cry out in ecstasy. She bit her lip harder until she
tasted blood. Maybe
Ryeissa
should have felt
humiliated by the way she twisted her hips up against his hand, fucking
herself, grinding her pussy on him … but she didn’t. The pleasure was too
intense for her to care about anything but right here and now.

Never
had she felt anything like this, and he hadn’t even penetrated her yet. She
wasn’t a virgin, but she’d never been with a man like Mason. What would it feel
like when he pushed all those hard inches into her? Could she handle it, take all
of him? Even if she couldn’t she’d sure as hell try like a champ. All she could
think about was his dick pushing into her body. It would hurt, she was sure,
but she didn’t doubt the pain would morph into a pleasure she’d never felt
before.

“You’re
so wet for me.” He moved the digits down her slit and teased the pad of his
thumb along the opening of her body.

“I
have never been this wet,” she groaned the words out. Her legs shook as she
braced her feet on the ground.

“Good.
You’ll only ever be like this for me, baby.”

She
nodded.

He
licked and bit at her throat, the sting from his teeth and slightly elongated
canines causing a wave of pleasure to slam into her. When he dipped just the
tip of his finger into her pussy she cried out against the side of his face.

“God,
yes, Mason.”

He
grunted.

He
only pushed inside of her to the first knuckle, but the intense sensation of
that had pleasure coursing through her.

“You’re
so fucking tight and hot,
Ryeissa
.” He didn’t push
any further into her, just held poised at her entrance, as if he wanted to
tease her until she lost her mind. Her inner muscles clenched down on him, and
he growled.

He
turned his face and captured her lips in a hot, wet, and possessive kiss. He
slid his tongue into her mouth at the same time he pushed his finger to the
next knuckle inside of her. A small sound of need left her. In and out he moved
his finger in her pussy and his tongue in her mouth, fucking her in both places
until she knew she could come from this alone. With a twist of his wrist he
moved his thumb to her clit, and while finger-fucking her he rubbed the
hardened bundle of nerves.

Back
and forth he rubbed her clit, making that nub of tissue swell even further and
her imminent orgasm churn inside of her. It was so intense that she knew if he
kept it up she would climax right underneath him before he even penetrated her
with his cock. Holding off the inevitable because she didn’t want it to end,
she focused her attention on the feel of his scruff along her cheeks, at the
harsh sounds leaving him.

“Let
go,
Ryeissa
. I don’t want you to hold back. I want
you to come with my fingers inside of you.” His voice was a rough growl,
slightly distorted from his bear. He moved his thumb faster and faster on her
clit and lifted his head to stare down at her. His pupils were eating up his
irises, the color now a pitch black that looked supernatural.

Her
mouth parted as she felt her climax rise. Gripping onto his massive biceps,
Ryeissa
tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and felt her
entire body tense as she came. She dug her nails into his hard flesh and cried
out, unable to hold in the sound. Pleasure coursed through her, starting from
the tips of her toes, stealing her very breath, sanity, and finishing at the
top of her head so she couldn’t even think straight. Never once did he stop
teasing her pussy, and that had her pleasure soaring higher.

When
she started returning to earth, the pleasure a tremor through her, it was to
see Mason braced above her, his hands on either side of her head now. He was
tense, his muscles standing out in stark contrast to his tattooed flesh, his
eyes still that onyx color. Even now her body ached for more, tingled for
another taste of him, of what else he could give her. What she wanted was to
feel was his cock deep inside of her.

She
lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath, her sanity. She finally
pushed herself up slightly, but before she could say anything, or kiss him, he
had his mouth on hers. He gave her a slow, drugging kiss that had her toes
curling, her pussy creaming again, and had a wave of ecstasy moving through
her. He moved his lips down to nip at her collarbone, to lick away at the
sting.

Not
thinking, just knowing what she wanted to do,
Ryeissa
reached between them and tried to undo the button of his pants. She wasn’t
easy, had only been with a few guys in her twenty-three years, and certainly
wasn’t overly wanton, but she felt like a vixen with Mason. She felt like she
could be this way with him, because he was just as needy for her as she was for
him.

But
he stopped her from going any further with a hand on top of hers.

Looking
away from his jeans she felt this wave of confusion fill her. Surely he wanted
her? She could see he was hard, felt the heat come from him like a furnace.

“What’s
wrong?”

Resting
his forehead against hers, Mason breathed out, his body still tense.
 
“Nothing’s wrong, believe me I want this.”

“Then
why did you stop?”

He
opened his eyes and looked into hers. “As much as I want my cock buried so
deeply inside of you that I can’t see straight, I can’t do this here. I want to
take you on a bed, without sticks and rocks digging into us,” he said and
smiled down at her. “Believe me when I say I want you really fucking badly.” To
emphasize his point he took her hand and pushed it lower so it was right over
his straining erection. He pressed his lips against hers again, and she felt
his erection jerk behind his jeans, right on her hand. Her heart pounded fast
and hard, and although she wanted this, with him, he was right.

“You’re
right, Mason.” That was harder to say than she thought.

He
pushed back, smoothed his thumb over her cheek, and kissed her again. He moved
back and helped her with her panties and jeans, and then pulled her onto his
lap. There he just held her, and it was nice, really nice in fact. Oh, she was
still insanely aroused, but just being in Mason’s arms, the aftereffects of her
pleasure still moving through her, had this warmth and contentment filling her.

“Does
it scare you that I won’t let you go?”

She
pulled back enough she could look in his face. For a second she didn’t say
anything, but then she shook her head. “No. Does it scare you that I don’t want
you to let me go?”

He
looked so fierce right now, so hard and unyielding. He shook his head and
pulled her close again. “Fuck no.”

And
it seemed just like that they were not going anywhere. That was more than fine
with her.