Guardian Bears: Karl (6 page)

A
llison woke
in the darkness and panicked.
Where am I? This isn’t my bedroom.

A hot breeze played across her body. She wasn’t under her sheets, and as her head cleared she realized that she wasn’t on a mattress. Or even a carpet. She was lying naked on the cold rough earth.

Above her, she saw the stars twinkling. The massive arch of the sky spread magnificently overhead, the full moon shining down on her. She looked around and saw the barren landscape stretching towards the black rocks of the mountains. And in the distance, she saw people moving, flashlights shining in the darkness.

What the hell is going on? Why am I alone, in the desert? And why am I naked?
The dream of her run through the wilderness was still with her, though the details were gone. Scrambling to her feet, she considered calling out for help. But she didn’t want to be seen naked in the desert, especially not when she didn’t know how she got there or why she was there. And something inside her really didn’t want to be found by these people. She didn’t know why not, or who she thought they might be, but something was wrong.

Well,
obviously
something’s wrong! I’m waking up naked in the desert, for God’s sake!
Shaking her head, she looked around for somewhere to go.

Fortunately, there were buildings nearby. She wasn’t too far into the desert and she even recognized the buildings. The Mayfair Motel. Not exactly the best place to run to, but not the worst either. At least it gave her a direction to go. From there, she’d be able to find her way home easily enough, though she didn’t look forward to walking that far barefoot and naked.

She reached the building quickly, wincing with each step on the hard ground. Following the edge of the building around towards the road, she was almost there when she heard voices ahead and froze.

“Are you sure it’s the monster?” The voice didn’t sound familiar, and the tone wasn’t friendly.

“What else could it be? It trashed our gear and Bob saw it head out into the desert.” That voice she did know. Damian. She wouldn’t forget his condescending cold tone anytime soon.

Shit, they’re looking for the monster?
Allison carefully pushed the obvious conclusion out of her mind and tried to figure out a route around the men. They were in the parking lot, and light spilled out from doors opening onto the lot. Peeking around the corner she saw two men leaning over the hood of a car, a map spread out over it.

She couldn’t help noticing that they had rifles slung over their backs. Normally that wouldn’t bother her, but tonight it felt like a threat. She couldn’t place the reason for her fears but they were there and she couldn’t ignore them either.

I could sneak around them,
she thought, glancing at the road beyond the parking lot. But then it was still a long walk to her house, and she would be pretty easy to spot following the road.
Maybe she could go to see Marty in his office? Looking at the door, open and inviting, she realized that there was no way she’d get there unseen. Maybe someone who knew how to sneak around would be able to, but she wasn’t some action movie star and she knew her limits.

Gravel crunched behind her and she froze. Someone was coming! And now she was pretty much trapped between the building she was hiding behind and the hunters.

Getting caught by the hunters was something she wanted to avoid at any cost, and she had to get out of sight before she was seen. There was only one option. Looking at the doors on the building, she nerved herself up to try one. The footsteps approached rapidly as she picked the door that felt right to her. Before she could talk herself out of it, she darted across to it, praying that it wasn’t locked.

Luck was with her, or fate was, and the door opened at her touch. She swung it shut behind her, collapsing back against it with a sigh of relief as she heard the men outside walked past, oblivious.

Taking a deep breath, she looked around for the first time. The room was clearly taken: there was an open case on the bed, and a backpack dropped carelessly on the floor near her.
Maybe there’s something I can wear,
she thought, feeling guilty at the idea. Promising herself she’d return anything she borrowed the next day, along with some homemade sweets as a thank you, she stepped over towards the bed.

She was just a step into the room when she heard the bathroom door open and jumped with fright. A startled squeak escaped her lips as she looked around, and then she froze.

Standing in the doorway, dripping wet and as naked as she was, stood Karl. It was only then that she remembered the door number he’d scrawled on the card he’d given her, and realized that part of her had picked his door on purpose.

Oh God
, she thought, frozen like a deer in the headlights.
What’s he going to think?

She couldn’t look away from him. A quick glance turned into a lingering look that traveled up and down Karl’s body. He was magnificent, a sculpted masterpiece that belonged in a gallery somewhere. A museum displaying the super-hot male form, perhaps. His presence had had an effect on her before, when they were both fully clothed, but now that they were naked, her body called out for his and she could scarcely fight the urge to run to him.

Am I still dreaming?
She didn’t think so, but this was the strangest moment in her entire life.

Unable to resist, she glanced between his legs and gasped. She could feel her cheeks flush bright red as she looked at his manhood.
Oh my God, he’s huge!

* * *

T
he sound
of someone sneaking into his room was enough to make Karl’s eyes snap open. He’d been in the field too often to allow someone to creep up on him, and whoever was here now wasn’t doing a terribly good job of moving quietly. Karl lifted himself from the ice water bath with quick, quiet precision and threw open the door.

He’d intended to catch whoever was burgling his room by surprise, but what he saw left him standing stunned himself.
Allison?
She jumped around to face him, and he found himself staring at her. Their eyes met and he swallowed, wishing he’d grabbed a towel before opening the door.

“What -” he started, broke off, and tried again. “What are you doing here?”

The words broke the spell, and Allison blushed bright red, grabbing the top sheet from the bed and pulling up to cover her. It looked like she was trying to talk, but no words came. After a moment of that, Karl smiled and shook his head.

Why am I even questioning it? A beautiful woman sneaks into my hotel room naked, this is either a dream or a dream come true. In either case, why spoil it?

He stepped forward, and saw her eyes flicker over him as he moved. His smile broadened – he knew, without any false modesty, that she liked what she saw. His body was toned, hard muscle under smooth skin. And he couldn’t help being pleased at the way her eyes widened when she looked down at him.

He could feel the call of her body reaching for him, the call of one mate to another. His bear felt it as much as he did, awake and alert and hungry for her touch.
Does she feel that too? Is that what brought her here, like this?
What other explanation could there be?

Another step closer, and he was near enough to reach out for the sheet. But something wasn’t right. The look in her eyes wasn’t just embarrassment or nerves. Allison was afraid of something.

He stopped and took a step backward, giving her space. “What’s going on?”

Flustered, Allison couldn’t speak, she just shook her head. Karl lowered his hand and smiled, trying to be reassuring. This didn’t seem like the kind of thing that Allison would do often, or really at all, and he didn’t want to make it worse for her.

“I’m very happy to see you,” he told her, keeping his voice soft. “But if you’re having second thoughts, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

It was an effort to keep calm, so close to her, and his bear didn’t seem to understand the idea of restraint. It wanted to claim her, had wanted to since he’d seen her for the first time that morning. But he wasn’t about to let his animal side overrule his mind, no matter how much effort that took him.

Allison sat on the bed, pulling the sheet around her. It didn’t do anything to hide how sexy she was, and he could feel his body responding. And hers, he thought. He wasn’t sure if it was real, but he thought he could hear her pulse speeding as she looked at him.

“I’m not -” she shook her head, speaking so quietly he could barely hear her. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

Karl raised an eyebrow and grinned at her.

“I’m not sure what else it can be,” he said, “but I’m not going to judge you, whatever you’re here for. Or if you’ve changed your mind. I told you that you could come to me for anything.”

He reached out again, slowly so as not to startle her, touching her cheek gently. The touch was as powerful as the first brush of their skin had been, back at her house, and she gasped at the contact. He smiled again.

“But I think we both want this, don’t you?”

It was the smallest nod he’d ever seen, but it was there. She looked away from him, flustered and nervous, and he pulled back his hand.
No sense pushing her,
he told himself, though his bear wanted to tear the sheets out of her hands and hold her to him. But that would be too much, too fast.

She stared at the floor, focusing on the pattern of the cheap carpet rather than him and chewing on her lower lip. “Karl I, I didn’t mean to come here,” she told him, and he nodded, encouraging her. That seemed to frustrate her, though.

“I don’t do this kind of thing!” her voice was still quiet, nearly a whisper, but the intensity of her words was palpable.

“I’ll admit I was surprised,” he said. “But there’s something between us, you know it and I know it. There’s no point in denying it, Allison. You feel it whenever we touch, don’t you? Just like I do.”

She nodded, firmer this time, and he gently took her by the chin, raising her face up to look at him. “Then trust yourself, trust the fate that brought us together, and enjoy it.”

Her eyes, so intense, looked into his, and he could see the conflict in her. The drive to be good in the way society expected pitted against the desire she felt and the pull of fate. The pull that he felt too, drawing the two of them together.

A
llison gasped at his touch
, looking up into his steely gray eyes. There was something about them that tugged at her memory, something she couldn’t quite name. As though she’d seen those eyes in a dream.

What am I doing?
She couldn’t bring herself to pull away, to break the connection. Her body felt weak in his presence, and his touch sent a shiver through her, a spark of lightning up her spine.

She lifted a hand to his chest, intending to push him away. But feeling the warm, firm muscles under her palm, she couldn’t bring herself to. The trouble was that she
did
want this. It might have started as a misunderstanding, but it felt as right as everything else about her day had felt wrong.

Every part of her felt pulled towards him. And looking up at him, she could see he wanted her just as badly. Maybe he was right, maybe it was fate that had brought them together like this. Biting her lip, feeling her heart race, she relaxed her arm and trailed her hand downward. She could feel his heart beating as her fingers traced across his ribs, a strong and steady rhythm that was almost hypnotic.

Karl smiled down at her, lifting his hand to hers and holding it against him. The water dripping from him was ice-cold, she realized, a welcome and refreshing feeling in the heat of the night. His hand, though, was warm and his touch made her squirm as she leaned in towards him, her lips parting. He bent to meet her.

His lips met hers in a kiss that drove all rational thought from her mind. It was overpowering, sending sparks flying through her and kindling feelings she couldn’t name. His touch was firm, his tongue pressing against hers eagerly, and he slid a hand behind her head, holding her to him. She never wanted him to let go, never wanted that moment to end.

Eventually he pulled back. Allison didn’t know how long the kiss had lasted, time seemed to stop once their lips met. All she knew was that it hadn’t been long enough, and she let out a moan of disappointment at its end. Karl chuckled.

“Don’t worry. There will be plenty of time for more kisses,” he said, stroking a strong hand through her hair. His free hand took hold of the sheet she still held up between them.

His eyes locked with hers, and she gave the tiniest nod. Karl’s grin widened, and he pulled the sheet from her grip, throwing it aside. Allison had to fight the urge to cover herself, to hide her body. But she didn’t want to hide, not from this man.

Still, she was afraid of his judgment as he looked her over. Stepping back, he made no effort to hide the thoroughness of his examination, his eyes tracing down across her body and back up again. Allison couldn’t help worrying.
He didn’t see me properly before, what if he doesn’t like me now?

She knew that she didn’t have a model’s figure, she’d never been nearly slim enough. But there was no sign of disappointment on Karl’s face. If anything, the look in his eyes intensified as he took her in, devouring her with his gaze.

“You, Allison,” he said with simple sincerity, “are beautiful.”

That made her feel shy again, and she raised her hands to cover herself as best she could. Karl caught her wrists, gently but inexorably pulling them away and shaking his head.

“Don’t hide yourself from me,” he told her, and she shivered at the hungry need in his voice. It spoke to a similar hunger in her, a need that had been buried deep for too long.

“I’m not pretty,” she protested, scared by the intensity of the feelings he was awakening in her. “Don’t – you don’t have to flatter me.”

“I’m not.” His voice was firm, uncompromising. “You are perfect, and I won’t lie to you.”

She couldn’t doubt him, his tone of voice and the way he looked at her didn’t allow it. That just increased her confusion: she had never thought of herself as perfect, and even the guys who were interested didn’t. Or hadn’t, until now.

Karl, on the other hand – she couldn’t imagine a hotter man, and to see him so eager for her touch was overwhelming. Allison took a deep breath and surrendered to her feelings, and to him.

Perhaps sensing her decision, he pulled her closer and kissed her again. This time she felt no hesitation as she pressed herself to him, their naked bodies feeling so right against each other. The contrast of the cool water on his warm skin was delicious, and the feeling of being enveloped in his arms was intoxicating.

And the kiss itself was magical.

Allison whimpered as he released her wrists to hold her close, one hand at her back the other gliding down to her ass. Her own hands slid around him without any conscious thought on her part – her body wanted him close, and her mind wasn’t needed.

With no sign of effort, he lifted her, holding her against his chest as he straightened, their lips still locked in a kiss. Allison felt her heart hammer in her chest at his casual strength – she’d never met anyone who could lift her so easily. It was a strange sensation, but a good one, to be supported entirely by his strength.

Their lips parted, and he moved down to kiss her neck. She felt his teeth nip at her skin and gasped, throwing back her head and biting down on a cry of pleasure. Karl’s chuckle shook her, and he bit again a little harder. This time she couldn’t resist crying out, a hand sliding into his short hair and pulling him to her.

He didn’t need the encouragement, kissing and biting on her neck and shoulder, making her shake in his arms. Allison’s breathing sped up and she felt herself tense, her hands gripping tight, nails digging in as her body responded eagerly to his caresses.

Oh God I need this,
she thought.
I need
him!

Karl growled into her shoulder as he bit down again, and she felt a wave of joyful fire wash through her body. Taking a step forward, he let go of her with one arm and swept the case and all his clothes off the bed to fall in a confused tangle on the floor.

Then he lay her down on the bed and started to kiss his way down her body. She tried to sit, but his hands held her down. Against their firm, gentle strength, she found herself pinned as he kissed her breasts.

Each touch of his lips made her gasp in joy, arching herself up and offering herself to him. A small burst of fiery heat shot through her with every kiss, each a little stronger, each setting her desire aflame. She struggled against his hands, not because she wanted to escape but because she couldn’t keep still while he expertly teased her.

Karl chuckled again, the deep sound infuriating and oh so sexy at the same time. His tongue darted out, flicking over a nipple, and Allison couldn’t keep in a howl of joy as a lightning bolt of pleasure shot through her.

“Bastard,” she breathed, making him chuckle again. “You’re enjoying teasing me, aren’t you?”

He looked up at her, a wide grin on his face. “Oh, like you aren’t enjoying it?”

Lowering his mouth to her other nipple, he sucked it into his mouth, tongue playing over it as Allison shuddered in delight. One of his hands slid down across her body, caressing her as he moved it down between her legs. With an infuriatingly light touch, he brushed it across her pussy.

Allison whimpered, raising her hips to push against his hand. But he kept his touch feather-light as he stroked her, and she bit her lip in frustration. It felt so good, but it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.

“Please,” she said, her voice hoarse, “please Karl, I need you inside me.”

Karl didn’t answer with words. Instead, he pressed his fingers to her, parting the lips of her pussy and making her gasp with delight. His touch was firm, gentle, and precise – as though he knew exactly what would drive her body wild.

“Not yet, Allison,” he murmured to her. She barely heard him over the wave of sensation that threatened to drown out everything but his touch.

His kisses trailed down her body as his fingers stroked with a gentle rhythm. Allison moaned, sliding her fingers through his hair, her breathing reduced to quick panting. She held his head as he ducked down, his lips taking the place of his fingers as he kissed between her legs.

Arching, pressing herself to his mouth, Allison felt wave after wave of pleasure shoot through her. His tongue felt so perfectly wonderful as he lapped at her, his hands sliding back up her body, holding her. Caressing her.

His tongue moved to the rhythm of her body, and her breath caught. For a moment she was still in his grip, her body poised on the edge, the waves of pleasure receding in the calm before the storm.

Then one last flick of his tongue sent the most powerful wave yet crashing through her, sweeping her away with its force. Allison howled at the ceiling, thrashing under Karl as he drove her wild, the orgasm washing away all conscious thought, all her doubts and confusion vanishing in a blinding moment of purest pleasure.

* * *

K
arl lifted
his face from Allison’s pussy, looking up along her body as she recovered. It was a sight he enjoyed, watching his mate recover from the pleasure he’d given her, and he savored it. Her chest heaved as she got her breathing back under control, and he grinned at the sight.

Moving up to kiss her, he whispered in her ear.

“That was beautiful.”

Allison moaned, her eyes opening slowly, and he smiled wider at the joy he saw in them. Allison’s face flushed as she saw him watching her, and he chuckled again.
What does she have to be embarrassed about?
She was perfect, so perfect in every way he could imagine.

She slid a hand behind his head and drew him in for another kiss, and he could feel her heart racing as their chests pressed together.
I want to feel that a lot from now on,
he realized.

Her hands stroked over his body, exploring, and he let himself enjoy the sensation. One of her hands slid down between his legs and he felt more than heard her little gasp as she found his erection ready for her.

She looked up at him, her beautiful green eyes sparkling with delight. She stroked him gently, stoking the fires of his desire as she watched his reaction. Karl growled at her as her touch drove him wild.

“Turnabout is fair play,” she said, laughing. Her laughter was a delight to Karl’s ears, soft and clear and happy. “You teased me, so you can’t complain!”

“No, I can’t,” he admitted. “But I can do this!”

He pulled her to him, kissing her with an intensity that drove the breath from both of them and filled him with a burning heat. Allison shuddered against his body, and he felt himself stiffen in her grip, his body yearning for her as he’d never wanted anything before.

Allison groaned, her hand tightening on him, her eyes wide as she pulled back. He could hear the need in her breathing, the mirror to the need he felt. It was in her eyes, too, an animal lust that he couldn’t miss, or ignore.

Reaching down beside the bed, he pulled through the clothes spilled from his case to find a foil condom packet and held it up. Allison’s blush deepened and she smiled, taking it from him and tearing it open, fumbling slightly as she slipped it on him. Her fingers played with him as she did, still teasing, driving him crazy. Karl couldn’t keep back another growl, frustration and desire rising to challenge his self-control. From the spark in her eyes he could see that she was enjoying that.

Taking her by the shoulders, Karl pushed her onto her back on the bed. Her hands left him, grabbing hold of his shoulders as he lowered himself onto her. They locked together, holding each other tight, burning for each other with a need that could not, would not, be denied.

She was trembling, her body shaking with need under his, and as he kissed his way down her neck, she clutched at him. He felt her nails digging into his back, urging him onward. Not that he needed any encouragement – Karl had never before felt so aroused.

He entered her with a smooth, slow thrust, feeling her stretch around him as he pressed himself home. Allison arched her back, pressing herself against him, gasping into his kiss as they joined. Her tight warm embrace surrounded him, feeling perfect and wonderful.

For a moment they were motionless, Karl letting Allison adjust to his size. Her breathing came in quick gasps as she relaxed, her body getting used to the sensation of him filling her.

“You feel so good!” she gasped out the words, voice hoarse and low. Karl chuckled, feeling her tighten around him again as he began to move.

“It’ll be even better in a moment,” he promised, pulling back. Allison made a small disappointed noise as he nearly slid out of her.

Then he thrust again, a long powerful motion which buried him deep inside her and made her moan loudly. With a growl, Karl pulled back again and thrust harder, feeling her shudder under him as he rocked the bed against the wall.

The sounds of her pleasure ate away at his self-control, and Karl’s thrusts sped up. They felt so damned good together, so wonderful. He knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that they belonged together. That the bear whispering ‘mate’ in his soul was right, and there was no way he’d be parted from this woman.

Karl didn’t have time to think about that. Allison pulled at him, her fingers digging into his back as she drew him closer, urging him deeper into her. Each thrust sent a storm of sensation through his body, driving him berserk with need and arousal.