Tempted by the Bear - Complete (19 page)

L
ucy

S
itting
across from me at Ben’s Burgers is one sexy man in disguise. Sven could use a shower, new clothes, a haircut, and a manicure. When he shoves another burger whole into his mouth, I watch in amazement. Even his table manners could use a refresher course, but he’s the hottest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.

I ask, “Should I order more?” The waitress already informed us that six burgers for two people would be too much. I told her he hadn’t eaten in days.

Sven grunts, which I take to be a yes, and I raise my hand to flag down our server. When I’ve ordered six more, I lean in to whisper, “You should probably slow down. All that other stuff with the meat might give you a stomachache.”

Sven glances up at me and gulps down his mouthful. “I can’t remember a day my stomach didn’t hurt,
princess
.” He yanks at the collar to the T-shirt he’s wearing as if it’s strangling him.

Princess?
I sit back in surprise and cross my arms. Five minutes ago he was charming. “My name is Lucy. And if you want me to pay the bill, you’ll remember it.”

He lets out a low growl and rips his shirt off over his head. I’m not the only female who gasps at the rippling muscles he reveals. My cheeks heat up, and it’s not just from the unwanted attention of the other patrons. “You can’t do that here. In restaurants, you have to wear a shirt.”

He frowns at me. “But it’s hot.”

I mimic his tone. “But it’s the rule.”

The waitress has plates in her hands and says, “She’s right. If you want these, you’ve got to put your shirt back on.”

Sven glares at her, and I see his claws begin to extend. I kick him under the table and say, “Nobody appreciates the animal in a guy these days.” I wink at the waitress as she waits for him to get dressed.

When she leaves, I lean close again and hiss, “Control yourself, or I’ll put you right back on that bus and send you back to your block of ice. Got it?”

He shoves two burgers in his mouth at once and tries to grin with his chipmunk cheeks. I roll my eyes and get up to pay the bill before he shifts for everyone to see. I lead him out to the sidewalk and ignore the stares.

Walking quickly, I take us to a side street and away from the main street of town. The moment we get there I ask, “What the hell was that, feral boy?”

He growls again, and I know I’ve got to get him to bear land before he shifts. Sven says, “Why the hell were you so nice to the human? They’re disgusting creatures.”

Oh boy. “Ah, because we live in their town, go to their schools, and use their amenities.” I crinkle my nose. “Like showers.”

He steps in front of me and leans down to get in my face. “You like my scent, princess. You want to strip for me and let me fuck you hard.”

My jaw drops as I gasp. A few internal reactions I want to squelch happen, too. “I— You—” I step back and let out a growl of my own before I begin to move forward again.

He grabs my arm and stops me. “I like yours, too.”

I gaze up into his eyes as his touch makes my body hum with desire. My anger fades as if he’s melting it, and a realization hits me. I shouldn’t be so attracted to this beast. But I’ve never wanted someone more.
I bet we’re true mates.
“Are we—?”

Sven leans down to nuzzle my neck. “Seems you have trouble finishing sentences around me, my true mate.”

Oh god.
I tilt my head back as his breath makes tiny hairs stand up all over my body. I reach up and place my hands on his chest and feel those muscles I’ve already memorized by sight as his arm slips around my waist to pull me against his body. He makes his desire for me apparent.

He asks, “Feel how I want you?”

I push away. “I do. But, Sven, I’m not going to just do you right here.”

He glances around as if the lack of people is enough.

“Seriously. Even if we were alone, I wouldn’t. I need—”

Sven’s mouth lands on mine in a kiss. Salty beef flavor gives way to his unique taste that does more than make me tremble. My knees go weak, and I’m grateful for his strength as he holds me close.

When his hand moves to my breast, I break away. “Stop.” I take a deep breath as I put distance between us. “We need to get back.”

He chuckles as I start to walk. Our feet thump in unison, and I guess he’s doing it on purpose. “You’re pretty strong willed for a little bear,” he says. When I don’t answer, he lowers his voice to a sexy rumble. “I like it.”

Sven glances around, taking in the buildings and cars. I imagine the culture shock he must be experiencing, and by the way he’s squirming in his clothes, I think he needs to let his bear out to run. I ask, “How long has it been since you shifted?”

“Too long.”

When we turn the corner to make our way back to Ink It, a breeze whips my hair into my face, and the strands are soft in my fingers as I pull them back and say, “Carly’s going to take you to her place, where you’ll be able to shift and run. It shouldn’t be much longer.”

Sven is back to his charming self when we get to the building, and he holds the door open for me. I smile at him in thanks, but it fades to a frown when I see a woman sitting on the couch.

“I’m sorry, did you have an appointment?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Carly’s going to help me.”

Carly nods at me from her room, where she’s finishing up with a customer. I glance back at the bleached blonde waiting. Her eyes are red and puffy like she’s been crying. “Have you picked out your tattoo yet?”

“I don’t care. Just anything to get the asshole’s name off of me.”

I nod. A number of people come in to have an ex-lover’s name removed. Carly always takes them right away, so I’m not surprised, but I wonder what I’m supposed to do with Sven.

My sister comes out of her room and says to the woman waiting, “Lindy, I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

I check out her client while Carly chats with Sven. When I’m done, Carly says, “Hey, I need you to do me a big favor. I can’t take Sven back to my house like I planned, but I’m sure he doesn’t want to sit around here and wait. Can you?” She glances at him and says, “Your room is upstairs, last door on the right. There’s a bathroom attached with everything you need.” She returns her gaze to me. “Nobody’s home, so would you mind sticking around until I get there? In case he needs anything.”

My stomach flips, because I know just what he thinks he needs. I nod as my mind screams
danger
while my body is dancing with sexual excitement. I get why she doesn’t want to leave a stranger alone in her house, even if I’m afraid of being alone with him.

“Thanks,” says Sven. He grins at me as his shoulder sinks with the weight of the backpack he hoists over it. “Ready when you are.”

I’ll bet. But I’m not ready. As much as I’ve fantasized about meeting my true mate, I’m not going to jump into bed with him after a few hours. I’m sure that’s too human for Sven, but he’ll just have to deal. Because I need more than sex from the man I’m destined to spend my life with.

Carly’s house key cuts into my palm when she gives it to me. I grab my purse and glance into Sven’s eyes.
My true mate
. I quickly avert my gaze before he melts my resolve. Damn polar bear. The fiercest of our kind isn’t going to be easy to deny. I sigh. “Let’s go.”

L
ucy

W
hen Carly needed
to stay longer at Ink It, I agreed to take Sven to Carly’s house so he wouldn’t have to wait. Sven is staying there since Annie’s house is full of enough people right now. As we approach the Lexus SUV my parents bought for me, I can see the wheels working in Sven’s head. The reason Sven’s nickname for me bothered me so much is that I am a princess in a lot of ways. I grew up with more money than most.

When we get to the car I’m tempted not to open the hatch so he won’t discover the shopping bags full of clothes I bought for the summer season. But then I decide maybe I can horrify him enough to keep his hands off me for a little while. Because I’m afraid I’m going to need every roadblock I can think of.

The beep of the car alarm sounds, and I lift the heavy metal door so he can put his backpack in the storage space. But if he notices what my purchases are, he doesn’t say anything. Sven lets out a big breath once he slides over the leather of the passenger seat. “Nice car.” He leans over to check out the dashboard. “Carly must pay well.”

“Thanks.” I turn the engine over and glance at the movement I notice. Sven takes off his shirt, and I appreciate his body while the cotton blocks his view of my stare. I’m backing up when I hear the soft hum of his zipper, and I steal a quick peek to discover he’s taking off his pants, too. Either they don’t make underwear or it’s optional in the arctic. “Feel better?”

“Much. Do I distract you?”

My voice shakes and gives me away. “No. I’m fine.” I grip the steering wheel hard as I wince at my inability to hide my feelings. Traffic is light, and I’m grateful, because I need to get this naked man out of town and into the woods for his run.

“You were right. My stomach isn’t very happy about lunch.”

I resist the urge to look over at him. “Yeah, eight orders of fries will do that. Hopefully a run will cure you.”

“Chasing you around should at least distract me.”

I forget his state of undress for a second, and my gaze darts over to him as I say, “I wasn’t planning on running with you.” Because that would mean I’d have to strip in front of him to shift. Nothing between us but air is so not a good idea.

“But I don’t know my way around. What if I get lost?”

I grin. “Right. Tell you what. I’ll let you sniff my socks, and then when you get lost you can follow the scent to get back. You guys can smell things for hundreds of miles, right?”

“Very good, princess. Did you learn that in your human schools?”

I purse my lips at his sarcasm and don’t reply.

A low growl rumbles from him before he says, “Now that I’ve found you, I’d know your scent anywhere.” His words make my insides quiver, and he continues. “In fact, until I have you, that’s all I’m going to smell.” He takes a deep breath and sighs. “The odor of your arousal tells me you can’t think of anything else, either.”

I snap back, “That should worry you, since I’m the one driving.”

Sven chuckles. “Princess—” He pauses for a moment. “No. That name makes you angry. Little bear, why do you play hard to get?”

The blinker ticks as I slow to make a turn, and it’s unusually loud in the silence as I form the right answer. “Because if I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with you,” he reaches over to play with my hair, and I stop for a second before continuing, “then I figure we should be more than just—”

He interrupts me as if he didn’t know I was speaking. “Your hair is the color of golden sunlight.” The tickle of it on my neck makes me shudder as Sven lifts a lock and lets it slip through his fingers. When he trails his finger down my chest to where my blouse parts, my eyelids get heavy with lust. “You are so very beautiful.”

I grab his hand before he can go farther. “Please stop.” My words are a whimper.

“What is it you’re so afraid of, little bear?”

I don’t know.
I shouldn’t want this wild, crass man. He’s not what I imagined I’d end up with, but I know the true mate attraction means I’ll never be happy with anyone else. “I’m sorry. I need to know more about you than what you look like without clothes. I can’t explain why. I just do.”

“Ah. The beauty of true mates is you’re going to like who I am. So ask me what you want to know.” He removes his hand from my grasp. “I’ll tell you anything.”

I glance over at him to see if he’s serious and shake my head at myself when it’s not his face I notice. “Tell me about your family.”

“I have a brother. My parents are dead.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry.” Silence lands on us like a dense fog, and I don’t know what to say.

Sven saves me. “Tell me about your family.”

“I have a brother, two parents, and Carly is my half-sister.”

“And you are rich.”

“Yes.”

“Very rich?”

I grin. Because we’re true mates, I don’t have to worry he’s with me for my money. “Yes.” I turn into Carly’s driveway. I’ve never been here and imagine her house from Sven’s point of view. It’s huge and looks like it could withstand the most brutal of storms. It looks safe. And I wonder if that’s what my mate sees. “But it’s my parents’ money. I didn’t do anything to earn it.”

“So you spend your time working at a tattoo parlor and buying things?”

“Wait. I thought I was supposed to be learning about you. What did you do before coming here?”

“Survived.” His tone is somber, and it makes me think he doesn’t want to talk about it.

We stop, and I switch off the car before I turn to gaze into his eyes. “I don’t seem to ask very good questions.”

Sven smiles slowly as he reaches over to put his finger under my chin. “Then we should try my way of getting to know each other.”

I back away. “Oh no.”

My door groans open, and when I get out, Sven gazes at me over the top of the SUV. I add, “You’re not off the hook yet, big bear.”

His eyes twinkle with amusement at my nickname for him. “Fine. Let’s go check out the castle.”

Carly and Brady’s house is new construction, and when we enter the front door, it opens up to a huge great room that’s more than two stories high. The look is rustic, with open-beam ceilings. The stairway is straight ahead, and I say, “Why don’t you go up and settle into your room. I’m going to the kitchen to find something to eat.” I’m hungry, because once I saw Sven inhale his burgers, I gave him mine, too.

I make my way to the kitchen and open the fridge. Nice. It’s full of food like when I go home. I’m still scanning the contents when Sven arrives. I shut the door to turn to him. Suddenly food isn’t what I want, because he’s still naked, and I force my gaze to stay on his face. “The woods are out back.” It is customary for most werebear homes to have accommodations for clothing by the back door. I lead the way through the mudroom and notice the hooks on the wall. “If you ever decide to wear clothes again, this is where you can leave them.”

Sven grabs my arms and drops to his knees. His head is by my crotch and he surprises me when he takes a deep breath. When he releases, me he says, “Just making sure I can find my way home.”

“Right.” I shake my head as I return to the kitchen. As soon as the screen doors slams, I glance out the window to see his bear form. He’s gone in a flash, but what I do glimpse is magnificent. A silly grin covers my face.
I’ve found my true mate.