Tempted by the Bear - Complete (11 page)

T
ori

T
he floor
of the frat house is vibrating with the sheer volume of noise, and the music playing travels through my limbs as I dance with Jax. The T-shirt he’s wearing is tight, showing off a muscular body that begs to be touched. And I’m touching it, because he pulled me in close, and we’re bumping against each other as we move and hold our beers away from ourselves in an attempt to keep them from spilling. I can’t help that his chest keeps me from falling when someone bumps into me, right? The way his abs flex under my fingers makes me linger, and his smile tells me he doesn’t mind.

It might be the alcohol, but something about this guy reminds me of Keith, and I find the scent of Jax strangely attractive in the same way. The fact he keeps sliding his hand over my butt helps. He likes my fluffy body, even if it’s only for tonight. When he leans down to kiss my neck, I throw my head back and let him.

My uptight Connecticut prep school was full of rail-thin girls that got all the boys, while my two sisters and I were left out. I don’t know how Ginny and Nessa are doing at Bowdoin, but here at UMO, there’s a whole lot of guys that like their women curvy, and I’m getting male attention I’ve never had before. I had no idea college would be this great.

Lucy is dancing next to us, and when I’ve drained my beer, I decide I want more. I wave at her and then yell at Jax. “I’m going to the keg!”

He points toward the bathrooms. “I’ll catch up to you!”

I nod at him, and Lucy leads the way through the crowd. I gush a bit over the Jax, but I stop when my friend freezes. Isabelle is doing a handstand on top of the keg and sucking on the pump. Gross. We’re supposed to pour beer out of that when she’s done?

I glance at Lucy and see she’s horrified, but I bet it’s about a lot more than germs. I would be too if that were my brother. She’s making her way over to him, and I want no part of the drama. I grab one of the pitchers full of beer being passed around and pretend Isabelle was the first person to suck out of the tap as I refill my cup.

I wander back to the dance floor and search for Jax. He catches my eye and smiles as he makes his way through the crowd toward me. Oh yeah, frat parties are fun. When he gets to me, he leans in close and asks, “Want to go cool off outside for a bit?”

I nod and let him take my hand to tug me along. Icy air greets us as when we step outside, and I relish the feeling on my overheated skin. I move to the porch railing and lean against it. Lukewarm beer fills my mouth when I take a sip. Jax seems to have lost his cup, so I hold mine out for him to drink from it.

“Thanks.” He swallows slowly before he asks, “Freshman, right?”

“How did you know?” Lucy is a junior, and she got me as a roommate this year because it’s my first year in the dorm, too.

“You have that wide-eyed look of wonder as if this is your first frat party.”

I open my mouth to protest but realize he’s teasing me. I snap it shut to grin instead. “I’ve been to a couple. They’re not usually my thing.”

“How so?”

“They’re so—I don’t know. Animalistic.”

Jax snorts out the sip of beer he took. “What makes you say that?”

I shrug. “That’s not the right word. I’m not sure why I said it. I guess what I mean is nobody seems to have a filter at these. It’s as if they’re acting on pure instinct, and the need for pleasure isn’t restrained.”

Jax hands me the beer. “Whoa, what the hell am I doing out here. I’m going back inside.” He moves like he’s leaving me and stops to chuckle.

“You’re such a tease.”

He waggles his eyebrows at me. “I hope that’s a good thing.”

“It is.” I drop my gaze as my face heats up.

“Hey.” Jax places his hands on my hips, and I glance up into his sparkling blue eyes. “Don’t be embarrassed. I like you, too.”

“You do?”

He nods and leans down as if he’s going to kiss me.

Oh my god!
My body lights up as I wait for his lips to meet mine. I don’t dare to close my eyes in case I’m wrong. His touch is light as if he’s testing me, and I part my lips slightly to nip at his bottom lip. Jax nips back and pulls away.

“Are you playing lax this spring?” he asks.

“Um-hmm.” My ability to speak words is temporarily paralyzed, and I take another sip of beer to hide it.

Jax smiles as if he knows I’m flustered. “Indoor training starts next week. But I’ve already started lifting at the gym. Want to work out with me this week?”

“Sure. But I have to warn you, I’m in terrible shape right now.”

He gives me the once-over with his gaze. “Doesn’t look that way to me.”

I try to hide my blush as I wrap my arms around myself. The cold is finally making me chilled. I speak quickly. “Where and when?”

“Monday at three.” He takes the beer from my hand and sets it on the railing. The movement brings him closer to me, and his chest rubs against mine, making my nipples harden at the contact. I think he feels it, because his voice gets a little deeper in tone. “I’ll be the guy at the squat station.”

My voice is breathy when I say, “Okay.” Jax places his palms on my upper arms and rubs to warm me up. His hands are hot, and I flash to the memory of Keith’s touch. My voice returns to normal as I say, “Sounds good.”

This time when Jax kisses me, his tongue enters my mouth, and I close my eyes to get lost in the sensations. I place my hand on his chest and press against his defined pecs. Pecs that make the image of Keith pop into my head again. I squeeze my eyes shut more as if I can send the vision away, because fantasizing about the older man while I’m kissing a hot guy more my age is so wrong. I focus on kissing Jax back.

His hands cup my butt, and he pulls me against his groin. A large erection between us is an invitation to go further. I pull away and break our kiss to gently decline. “I should go find Lucy. She was pissed at Luke, and she’ll probably want to leave soon.”

“Sure. I’ll see you Monday?”

“Yes.” I step backward toward the door. “Squat rack. Three. I’ll be there.”

“Good. I look forward to it, Tori.”

I wave before I enter the humid frat house. It doesn’t take me long to find Lucy. She sighs in relief when she sees me. “I was looking for you to let you know I’m leaving.”

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah. But I’ve had enough. Where’s Jax?”

“I left him on the porch. I’m ready to go, too.”

Lucy walks toward the kitchen, where we stashed our coats in an empty cabinet. There’s a side door, and she says, “Let’s go out this way and avoid the crowd.”

A spoiled-fish odor wafts toward us from the dumpster, and it makes me crinkle my nose as Lucy asks, “The sexy Jax didn’t convince you to hook up tonight?”

“Nope. But we’re working out together Monday.” The frat house isn’t far from our dorm, and I pull my jacket closed, while Lucy doesn’t. That girl has an internal heater that rivals those of most guys I know.

“Good. He’s not a player, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Yeah, I didn’t get that vibe. He was super nice,” I say.

“And he’s our age.”

I chuckle as I recall Lucy referring to Keith as a senior citizen when I told her how old he is. “There’s that, too.” Honestly, though, his age doesn’t dissuade me one bit. If anything, it makes him sexier. Maybe I should have let Jax take me up to a room and help me forget the man I can’t have.

We’ve reached our dorm, and I pull my key out of my coat pocket. The metal ring it’s on is cold in my fingers. I swipe the plastic card through the reader and pull the door open. While I’m tired, I’m a little afraid to sleep. Because I know I need to find a way to let Keith go, and having him star in lurid sex dreams doesn’t help my resolve. I sigh.

“What’s the matter?” Lucy asks.

“I’m hungry. Want to order a pizza?”

“Sure. I’m not ready for sleep yet either.”

“Luke and Isabelle?”

“Yup.”

“Maybe we should order ice cream, too? And then you can tell me all about it.”

She grins at me. “Sounds like a plan.”

A
nnie

W
hen true mates
find each other and bond, they spend a few weeks thinking about nothing more than how to connect physically. But it does begin to fade over time. Tristan and I have been together for a month now, and our pillow talk about the little things has evolved into creating memories as well as sharing stories about ourselves.

I glance over at the man I love sitting at the kitchen table. His strong fingers wrap around a coffee mug, and he lifts it to take a drink as he reads something on his tablet. I take my cup and a plate of homemade donuts over to sit across from him. He turns his attention to me. He smiles as he lifts a pastry, and bits of sugar fall down like a light snowfall. “Is this to make me feel better?”

I offer a sheepish look. Isabelle finally took Luke up on his offer to live with him, and she left yesterday. “Does it?”

He reaches over and takes my hand. “Everything you do helps. Thank you.”

Tristan feels it is his job to take care of Isabelle, almost as if he’s her father instead of her twin. Having her rely on another man is a tough loss for him. “I have a surprise for you today. Have you ever been snowshoeing?”

My mate chuckles. “Whatever for?”

It does sound silly when as bear we are so much faster in the snow, but something about trudging along as a human with a backpack picnic is romantic to me, so I say, “It’s a lot easier to carry our lunch that way. I thought we’d hike to the spot where our house will be built.”

I get the smile I was hoping for. “That’s a lovely idea. We do have something important to talk about.” He sighs. “I fear bringing my children here is going to ruin what we have.”

The way Tristan talks about his kids, you’d think they were spawns of the devil. “Nothing of the sort will happen.”

“If they don’t, then it will be my mother.” He shakes his head.

I want to get moving, so I say, “You can tell me all about it later. Now go get changed for a trek in the snow. I’ve already packed our picnic.”

When we’re ready to leave, Tristan is in a playful mood that makes me glad I came up with this idea. He’s attached his snowshoes, and I laugh as he begins to plow through the snow. He shuffles for a bit and stops to turn back to me. “Am I supposed to march? Or just walk normally?”

“Try to walk normally. Watch me.” I move in front of him, and snow lifts up from the backs of my snowshoes to hit me in the butt.

Tristan chuckles. “Oh, I like this view so much better.”

“Of course you do. Maybe I’ll show you what we can do with the blanket I packed.”

“Dessert after lunch. How decadent.”

I look back at him over my shoulder. “Who said I’d wait until after lunch?” I begin to jog, and my mate catches up to me quickly and catches me by my shoulders so I’ll turn to him.

“You know, I could shift, and you could ride on my back. It would be so much faster.”

“We’ve barely gotten out of the yard, and you’re tired already?”

“Nope. I’m thinking about that blanket and don’t want to wait.”

“Hmmm.” He makes a tempting offer. Tristan brings out my carefree side, and I’ve become less rigid in my thinking, so I throw my hands up in the air. “Fine. Give me the pack and shift so you can carry me.”

“Thank god.” Tristan leans down to take off a snowshoe. “These things are awful.”

I watch shamelessly as he strips off his clothes. When he’s almost naked, I lick my lips and gaze at his spectacular body. “You’re right, this is a much better idea.”

He winks at me. “Five minutes and I’ll be saying the same thing.” He folds his clothes neatly, taking extra care with his pants. He places them in the backpack and then stands to shift. My mate is magnificent, and the process that takes his large Adonis-like male form and transitions it into a polar bear is amazing.

When he’s done, I take a moment to marvel at his sheer size and beauty. I say, “You have to be the sexiest creature I know.”

I slip the backpack over my shoulders as Tristan lowers himself to the ground in a crouch for me to climb on. I remove my mittens and stick them into my jacket so I can grip his fur. It’s slick in my fingers with his natural oils, but I manage to secure myself on his back. “Ready.”

He begins to walk with me, and I think he’s making sure I’m stable. I say, “Run. I want to feel what it’s like as a human.”

When Tristan takes off, I hang on for all I’m worth. The air whipping around me as his powerful muscles flex under me is thrilling. We arrive in less than five minutes, and my fingers are cold when he lies on the ground for me to slide off. When he shifts back, he says, “One sexy creature at your service.”

“Then my command is you kiss me.”

Even though he’s naked in the cold temperatures of February, he still manages to burn like a furnace as he pulls me against his body. When I’ve become a quaking mess, he stops kissing me and asks, “How was your ride?”

“Amazing. I think you’re damn hot as a bear.” I slide my hand down between us and grab onto his hard cock. “But as a man…” I let out a growl and stroke him. “I find you irresistible.”

Tristan peels the backpack off my shoulders and fumbles with the zipper. “Where’s that damn blanket?”

I let go of him as I laugh.

He gives me a mock glare and asks, “And why aren’t you getting naked?”

I grin and scramble to accommodate him. “Oh, sorry.” I let my clothes fall in a heap and step close to Tristan, who has the blanket over his shoulders. He wraps it around me, and we sink down in our embrace.

W
hen the chill
in the air is too cold for me to stand it any longer, I lift myself off Tristan to get dressed. He lies on the blanket and watches. “You are such a beautiful creature, my love. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of looking at you.”

He’s sprawled out as if it’s a mid-summer day. “You don’t get cold, do you?”

“No.” He sits up and grabs his shirt from the pile of clothes I set out for him. “I don’t think I’m going to like your summer.”

“Probably not. We’ll have to install air conditioning and keep it set at fifty.” I yank my snow pants up over my long underwear, and the closure snaps shut.

“Ah, that would be wonderful.”

When we’re dressed, I begin to pull out our lunch. I discover champagne. The bottle is moist in my hand, and I pull it out. “Did you put this in here?”

“I did.” Tristan takes it from me and starts the process of opening it.

“What a nice surprise.” I set the glasses down on the blanket and begin to lay out the food.

He says “Stop. First we need a toast.”

“Okay.” I pick up the plastic cups so he can fill them.

When he’s done, Tristan shoves the bottle into the snow so it’s standing upright and rises up on his knees to dig in his pocket. He pulls something out but keeps it in his hand. My heart beats faster as I imagine what it might be, and I give him his glass. He says, “Put your hand out.”

I hold it out palm side up, and he places his fist on my hand to open it and trap an item between us. It’s small and hard and has a sharp edge that digs into my skin. My heart flutters with excitement when I guess it’s a ring. Tristan says, “I often think it would be nice to be human for this. The element of surprise is gone when you meet your true mate.”

I shake my head. “I’m surprised, Tristan. Don’t ruin it for me.”

He grins. “Annie Le Roux, will you marry me?”

I can’t help it. Tears roll down my face, and I nod. My mate removes his hand, and I glance down at my engagement ring. I gasp, because the diamond I assumed was a long, skinny marquis is actually a huge emerald-cut stone. “Tristan.”

He takes the ring, and I flip my hand over for him to slip it on. The stone is the size of a piece of gum, and the setting has fine cutouts in an elegant filigree design. I twist my finger to catch the light. “It’s gorgeous.”

“It was my grandmother’s, and I know it’s old fashioned, but I hope you like it.”

“I love it.” I throw my arms around him and spill champagne down his back as I lose the grip on my glass and it tumbles into the snow. “And I love you.” I kiss him. I’m not sure what happens to his cup, because both his hands are on me as we do our best imitation of fusing together as one.

Tristan takes my face in his hands, and they sear my cheeks as he whispers, “Forever, Annie, my love. I’ll love you forever.”

“I’ll love you forever too, Tristan.”