Grizzly Flying Free (Air Bear Shifters Book 2) (10 page)

“Sure,” Lexi said. “Dinner sounds nice.” She didn’t add that she definitely didn’t want to go back to Kodiak right now, and that she was sorry she had acted like such an idiot. She figured she’d at least wait until she had a glass of wine in her hand before trying to explain her less than stellar reaction from the night before.

Anderson drove back to his cabin without speaking, only breaking the silence to ask whether Lexi wanted to stop by her cabin and change before dinner.

She didn’t. She just wanted to get to his place and get this tough conversation out of the way. She had a feeling that tonight was going to be either the worst or best night of her life, and she couldn’t wait much longer to find out which one it would be.

Lexi had never been a very spiritual person, but as Anderson’s truck pulled up in front of his cabin, Lexi found herself praying to God, the universe, and whoever else might want to listen. She was desperately hoping for the best.

Anderson held the front door of his cabin open for Lexi, then followed her inside, relishing the warmth that greeted him from the well-heated living room. He quickly stepped into the kitchen and opened a bottle of wine, not bothering to even ask Lexi whether she was interested before he grabbed the corkscrew. Regardless of whether she wanted a glass, he needed something to calm his nerves. He couldn’t believe she was still here, but he had a feeling that the fact that she was meant that he still had a chance to win her over. All was not completely lost.

He just somehow had to manage not to screw this up.

“Would you like a glass?” he asked, looking in Lexi’s direction and gesturing toward the bottle. She nodded, and he poured two generous glasses, setting one down in front of her and taking a giant swig from the other.

“I’m just going to get changed real quick,” he said, and she nodded again. The air between them was full of nervous tension, and he wanted a moment to gather his thoughts before launching into what was sure to be one of the most defining conversations of his life. Somewhere deep down, he felt like Lexi was his one chance to find true love again. He had spent the last six years of his life thinking no one would ever reach his heart again. But somehow, she had. She might be the only one left who could. He’d thought he’d lost her for good last night, but somehow she was still here—still in Frost Peak, and still standing in his cabin despite the fact that she had now seen him fully shift between bear and human more than once.

He slipped into his bedroom, and changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a simple long-sleeved t-shirt. He pulled fresh woolen socks over his feet, and paused in front of his bedroom door for a few moments to take a few deep breaths. There was a lot on the line here, but he needed to remember who he was. A bear shifter, a strong and courageous grizzly. He needed to show Lexi that he wanted to help her understand who he was, but that he would not apologize for it. He had to have faith that if she was the right woman for him, that she would understand this. When he’d seen her in the forest, his heart had leapt in his chest. He took it as some sort of sign from destiny. There were thousands of acres of forest near Frost Peak, and somehow he and Lexi had ended up in the same spot several miles away from town. Surely, there was a reason they had crossed paths again like that. He knew he had scared her, and he regretted not shifting back to human form before starting to run after her. But she seemed to have taken it in stride once she realized who he was. She hadn’t run off again, at least. She was still here, and still seemed willing to talk to him.

Anderson walked down the short hallway and stepped back into the main living area of the cabin, where Lexi was toying with her glass of wine. He noticed with amusement that she had already downed half of it. Looks like he wasn’t the only one feeling a little bit uncertain right now.

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Before he started talking, he wanted to take in her beautiful form. He wanted to always remember what she looked like right now, in the soft, warm light of his cabin—just in case this was the last time he ever had a chance to talk to her.

She was wearing what looked like a pair of thick, black ski pants, and a tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt that looked like it was made out of one of those new high-tech fabrics that supposedly kept you warm in subzero temperatures with an impossibly thin amount of fabric. She had kicked off her boots, and was drawing attention to her hot pink woolen socks by nervously tapping one foot and then the other. Her dark hair was falling in waves around her shoulder, and was slightly mussed up at the top thanks to the winter hat she’d been wearing just minutes before. Her dark eyes looked up at him from under her thick eyelashes, and he could feel his own eyes blazing with passion as he met her gaze. The air between them crackled with the electricity of desire. He kept expecting her to look away, or to say something about how she just couldn’t get past the fact that he was a bear. But she didn’t break eye contact with him, and she didn’t say anything about the bear within him. She was, however, the first one to break the silence.

“Where’s Silver?” she asked, looking around as though the little girl might suddenly pop out from behind the couch or recliner.

“At Auntie Grace’s. She’s spending the night there tonight,” Anderson replied, surprising even himself with the deep huskiness of his voice. “Look, Lexi. About today…I’m really sorry that I scared you with my bear. I know it must have been terrifying. But I promise I have complete control of my bear. I would never hurt you. I just got so excited when I saw you in the forest that I took off running toward you without thinking.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Lexi said. “I reacted too strongly last night. I just had no idea until last night that bear shifters were a real thing. It caught me off guard. I didn’t know how to process it all.”

Anderson felt a sliver of hope rising within him. “So, does that mean you’re not completely cutting me out of your life?”

Lexi didn’t answer his question directly. Instead, she looked at him with hungry eyes and said, “Well, I’d like to still stay in Frost Peak for Christmas, if that’s okay with you.”

Her words, and the sound of her voice, sent a thrill through Anderson’s body. A thrill that reached his groin and started triggering a tingling stiffness between his legs. He told himself to take deep, calming breaths, but that was difficult to do with a woman as beautiful as Lexi standing right in front of him. “I’m pretty sure nothing would make me happier than to have you here for Christmas. Honestly, I thought I lost you for good last night. When I went by your cabin this morning and you weren’t there, I didn’t know what to think. I thought maybe you had already convinced Sawyer to take you back to Kodiak and that I would never see you again.”

“You came by my cabin?” Lexi asked. “What time?”

“I’m not sure, exactly. It was late morning sometime.”

“I must have just missed you,” Lexi said. “I waited for you. I kept hoping you would come. I honestly feel ashamed about the way I acted last night. I was in shock, but, still. I should have been more understanding. I was ready to take a big leap into a relationship with you, and the fact that you can shift doesn’t change who you really are at your core. I just—”

Anderson didn’t wait to hear what else she had to say. He had heard enough. He crossed the space between them in two big strides, taking her wine glass from her hand and setting it down on the coffee table before pushing Lexi up against the wall of the cabin and covering her lips with his. She gasped, then melted into his kiss, letting him slip his tongue deep into her mouth. His dick was hot and throbbing, a rock solid rod that was now pushing against the fabric of his jeans and thrusting against Lexi’s stomach.

Lexi wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, deeper. She swept her tongue across the roof of his mouth, and then sucked his tongue into her mouth, pulling hard as though she could keep him connected to her that way forever. She wanted him, too, and this realization sent a thrill of excitement through Anderson’s body.

He hadn’t so much as kissed a woman since Silver’s mother died. It had never felt right, even though he’d had some very beautiful women trying to woo him. He’d always held back, letting the pain that surrounded his heart serve as a wall that kept anyone else from getting in. Guilt had chained him to that wall of pain. He had always felt responsible somehow for his wife’s death. Even though there was nothing he could have done, it seemed unfair that she had died before she ever got to meet her daughter. It felt wrong to Anderson that his wife’s body lay below the cold ground, fading away, while he got to live on and enjoy life with Silver. Silver was the most precious gift he had ever been given, and his wife had died to give that gift to him.

But now, as he felt Lexi’s lips on his and her arms around his body, he could feel the chains of guilt loosening for the first time. He could feel the wall of pain crumbling, and he could feel his heart breaking free. It was as though somehow, Silver’s mother was giving him her blessing from somewhere beyond the grave. Anderson closed his eyes and let the warmth of peace and passion flow over him. He knew that it was time to love again. He had finally found someone who could make him come alive again, and he was never going to let her go.

He lifted Lexi into his arms with a low growl, and carried her toward his bedroom. He moved boldly and with purpose, making his intentions clear by the blazing fire in his eyes. He didn’t want to scare or disrespect Lexi, so he watched her carefully for any sign of resistance or protest. But there was none. She was all in on this, just like him.

Anderson knew their blossoming love was new and messy. He still had things to explain to her and she still had questions she wanted answered. He didn’t know how a relationship would work out with her living in Kodiak while he stayed here in Frost Peak. But they could figure all of that out later. Right now, all he cared about was tearing her clothes off of her and slipping his thick shaft into her body. He hadn’t allowed himself to think thoughts like this about a woman in years, and he felt a deep sense of urgency as a part of him that had been lying dormant awoke with a frenzy.

Lexi clearly felt the same sense of urgency. As soon as he dropped her on his mattress, letting her bounce slightly as she fell, she was reaching for his shirt. She tugged at the hem and pulled it up and over his head, whistling in appreciation when she saw his broad chest and chiseled abs. Anderson felt his chest puff up a bit with pride. Seeing the way Lexi looked at him with appreciation only fueled the fire of desire burning in his very core. He had to have her.

He reached for her shirt, pulling it off in one quick movement and exposing a simple black bra. He loved the way the smooth fabric matched Lexi’s smooth skin, and he paused for just a moment to admire her beauty. But he couldn’t hold back more than a few seconds, and he quickly moved to reach behind her back and unclasp the bra, sliding the straps down off her shoulders and throwing the garment aside. He let out a long, deep growl as her perfect breasts came into view. They were full and round, and her nipples stood tall and alert, ready and waiting for his touch. He bent down and put his mouth over one of them, flicking his tongue hungrily across the hard nub, relishing the slightly salty taste of Lexi’s skin. She moaned and writhed underneath him, but he didn’t slow down. He let his teeth come out to play, nibbling her nipple gently at first and then with slowly increasing pressure until Lexi’s moans became all out screams of delight. He switched to the other breast, giving equal attention to her other nipple and drawing another satisfied scream from Lexi’s lips.

He could have stayed there all night, teasing her nipples and watching her respond to his touch. But the pressure in his dick was growing stronger, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold off much longer. He slid down to remove Lexi’s pants, fumbling with the snap and zippers of the ski pants in his excitement. He managed to unfasten everything and pull the pants off of her legs, quickly removing her socks in the next instant as well. She moaned and tried to sit up to reach for his pants, but he pushed her gently back down.

“First, I want to see you,” he said, his voice low and husky. “All of you.”

He grabbed her black panties with his teeth and dragged them down and off her legs, throwing them aside with a purposeful toss of his head. He took in Lexi’s fully naked body, and felt like he was living out a dream. Who was this beautiful creature lying on his bed, and how had he been lucky enough to get this chance to make love to her? Her long dancers’ legs were bent slightly at the knees, and her chest rose and fell quickly with her rapid, excited breaths. Her skin was smooth, like porcelain, and her curves were sensuous, calling to him to run his hands over them with abandon.

He felt his dick throbbing hard against the fabric of his jeans, and he reached to unbutton them. If he didn’t get these pants off quickly, he felt like his dick might literally burst through the fabric. His erection was strong and insistent. He needed Lexi. Wanted her. Craved her. He couldn’t wait to be inside of her. He slipped out of his jeans, pulling his briefs down at the same time to let his shaft spring free. He felt a moment of sweet relief when the confinement of his clothing was removed, but the relief was short-lived. The only thing that could truly ease the mounting pressure in his groin was the chance to be inside of Lexi.

With a determined roar, he climbed onto the bed, and flipped her quickly onto her stomach. He didn’t even bother to pause to take his socks off. He had to have her, now. He ran his hands over her smooth back, all the way down to her bare ass, with its perfectly rounded curve. He slid his hand over that curve and toward the front of her pelvis, where his fingers were quickly covered with the warm juices of her desire. Another intense wave of passion shot through him at the feeling.

“You’re ready for me,” he said, his tone approving.

“I want you,” she panted out, her breath rapid and her voice slightly muffled by her hair, which had become a mess of dark waves that hung down and blocked his view of her face.

Anderson grinned, and shoved two of his fingers into her slick entrance, as deep as he could force them to go. His smile widened as he heard her gasp, and felt her writhing underneath the pressure of his hand. He wanted nothing more than to shove his dick deep inside of her, but he forced himself to hold back just a few more moments. He wanted to tease Lexi and make her pant for him as long as he could. He loved the way she squirmed beneath his touch.