The Bear's Reluctant Wolf (7 page)

“How can you possibly know that you
can’t be my mate if you haven’t given us a chance?” He stared into her eyes but
didn’t give her a chance to answer that question. He could see that she
understood him well enough. Whatever was making her feel like she couldn’t at
least try whatever the hell was happening between them wasn’t good enough for
Trace. He wouldn’t just fucking back away. “I just want to start with lunch,
Candace, just lunch.” Her blue eyes were so big, so expressive, that he didn’t
think she realized how easily he could read her. “What do you have to lose?” It
took her a moment to answer, but finally she exhaled and dropped her gaze to
his chest. He didn’t want that, didn’t want her hiding from him, even if it was
just her breaking eye contact. Taking hold of her chin between his thumb and
forefinger, he lifted her head so she was forced to look at him again. “Quit
fighting the inevitable, and let me buy you some food.” He grinned, hoping to
appear nonthreatening, because no matter how gentle he tried to be and appear
,
he knew he was rough around the edges. It wasn’t something
he could help, no matter how much he wanted to show his mate that he would drop
to his knees before her and worship her like the goddess she was.

Chapter Five

Was she actually going to do this? Yeah,
it looked like she was since she’d agreed to go with Trace to lunch. Candace
smoothed her hands over her shirt and picked a loose thread on her jean shorts.
He had told her to go and change, that he wanted to take her to the little deli
in town so they could talk about whatever in the hell was going on between them,
and she hadn’t even put up a fight. In her defense she was a bit shell-shocked
to actually see him at her house, to feel his presence, and the way he didn’t
even have to say anything for her to feel him as if he were touching every part
of her. Yeah, she might not have been surprised he had found her, but that
didn’t make her shock any less intense. The scent of him still surrounded her,
and the images of seeing him look up and down her body haunted her. He wanted
her, and hadn’t even tried to hide the fact he had grown hard right in front of
her. This male had no shame, and just did whatever the hell he wanted to.
Despite the knowledge they had both lived here for several years, they had
never run into each other. Strange in a sense because Sweet Water wasn’t that
big of a town to begin with, but Candace did stay to herself, and it was clear
Trace ran in a very different circle from hers.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her
bedroom door and made her way down the hallway. He was still standing in the
foyer, but had his attention on the photos that lined the walls. “You were cute
as a kid.” He looked at her by only turning his head, and he already wore a
grin.
“Tiny little thing, too.”
A shiver raced up her
spine when he glanced at her thighs. Fortunately, she had been smart enough to
put on jeans. He faced her fully, leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms
over his chest. It seemed he liked that position, but then again it was a very
nice look on him, what with it making his muscles bulge out. He started eyeing
her up and down, and she felt naked in front of him.

Clearing her throat, Candace tried to
calm down. “Yeah, I have just recently gained some weight. I blame it on the
fact I work from home.” Why had she just told him that? Ugh, it was like she
was a mess when around
him,
and blurting off things
she would have normally kept to herself. It was verbal vomit at its finest. He watched
her with unrestrained heat in his eyes.

“I like the way you look, like that you
have curves and can handle everything I give you.” He took a step closer, and
closer, and Candace found herself staying in place, able to move away from him.
She really should be more offended by his arrogance in the fact he was damn
sure she would just give him whatever the hell he wanted. “Looking at you makes
me think of all kinds of filthy things I want to do to you.” Before he was
close enough to touch her he stopped, and she let out a breath. He watched her
for a second, and she could clearly see the struggle not to reach out and just
take her.
“Food.”
He grunted out the word, turned, and
walked to the front door. Candace stared at him, a bit confused and flustered.
“Come on, mate, it’s time for us to have a nice long talk.” He glanced at her over
his shoulder and pulled the door open. Candace grabbed her purse and followed
him out of her house. After locking up she faced his bike just in time to see
him climb on it.

“Maybe I’ll just meet you there.” It was
more of a statement than a question. She eyed the bike, and then felt her pulse
jump when he reached behind him and patted the seat.

“Come on, little wolf. It’s all good.”
He slipped his glasses on, and she couldn’t help but think he looked so sexy,
so dark, and so damn sinister in all black. “I promise I won’t let you fall.”
The teasing note in his voice lightened the mood marginally.

“I’ve got to be out of my mind,” she said
under her breath as she made her way toward him, but she knew he heard her
nonetheless because he started to chuckle. Stopping right in front of the huge
motorcycle, she eyed its full length. The chrome was polished until it was
almost blinding under the sun, and the red and black detail work was sharp and
beautiful all at the same time.

“Go on, straddle it.”

She snapped her eyes to him, because
even if he was talking about her mounting the bike, Candace also didn’t miss
the sexual innuendo that was an undertone in those words. Doing just that, she
sat on the bike and moved as far back as she could so she wasn’t touching him.
She was already uncomfortably wet, and the thought of having her body pressed
so close and very intimately against his would not help her in any sense. The
black leather seat was warmed from the sun, and she shifted, feeling her shorts
ride up slightly from the movement. Candace took a moment to take in Trace’s
broad, strong shoulders, and narrowed waist.

“
Gotta
get a little closer, Candace.”
His
voice was low, and even though he didn’t turn around when he spoke she heard the
amusement laced in his words. Moving down on the seat a little bit, she still
kept a bit of space between them. In the next second he reached around, curled
his long fingers around her waist, and yanked her down the seat so her chest
pressed against his back. The air whooshed out of her, and she closed her eyes
at the feel of all of his hardness. He hadn’t let go of her waist, and his body
was tensed. His chest rose and fell, and the scent of his polar bear right
there was a strong, heady smell that filled her nostrils.

Hands on her thighs, she curled her
fingers into her legs, knowing that whatever was happening between them was so
extreme she wouldn’t be able to deny it the longer she stayed in his presence. He
grabbed his helmet and handed it to her.
“
Gotta
be safe.”
He looked at her from over his shoulder and grinned. After she
had the helmet secured on her head and her purse crossed over her chest, she
took a deep breath.

“Baby, you have to wrap your arms around
my waist.” The way he sounded, like he was barely hanging on as well, wasn’t
lost on her. Candace should have told him “baby” wasn’t her name, but the words
lodged in her throat, and instead she wrapped her arms him. The muscles of his
abdomen jumped when she gripped the material of his shirt. It was like he was
smuggling damn paint rollers beneath his skin. It didn’t take him long to start
the bike, and as soon as he did she bit her lip to hold off from moaning. The
vibrations were crazy intense and coursed throughout her entire body. Her clit
swelled, and she swore she felt his cock start to become hard. He grabbed her
hands, placed them right back on his lower stomach, and gave them a tight
squeeze.

Trace backed out of her driveway, and
then they were on the road, passing houses and trees at an astounding and
freeing rate. Candace rested her head on the center of his back and tightened
her arms around him. She had never been on a bike, and as scary as it had been
at first, she could definitely see the appeal. There was something about not
being confined in a car and feeling the wind whipping by her.

They were at the deli far too soon.
Trace dismounted, and she took her helmet off and handed it to him, but before
she could climb off, too, he was holding onto her hips and hauling her off.

“You have to watch this.” He tilted his
head to a big piece of metal on the side of the bike. “It’s easy to burn
yourself.” He had her back on the ground and grabbed her hand before she even
righted herself.

The deli he had taken her to had been a
staple in Sweet Water for as long as Candace could remember. Originally owned
by two sloth shifters, the deli had been bought by a human couple. The sandwiches
were the best in town, and although small, it was cozy and the atmosphere eclectic.
They chose a table on the patio, and when the waitress, a sugar glider who had
a cute little Australian accent, had taken their drink and food orders, they
were left alone. All that arousal that had been strong inside of her since she
opened the door and had seen Trace standing there was now gone, and in its
place was her uncertainty.

“So.”
The napkin in front of her seemed very interesting all of a sudden.

“Relax, Candace.” She lifted her eyes so
she could see him. Dammit, he looked good just sitting there. He had one arm
thrown over his chair, and one of his legs was straight out in front of him. He
had the appearance of being relaxed, and maybe he was, but he also looked like
he could break someone in half with just a glare.

Candace reached deep inside,
straightened her spine, and decided that being nervous in front of him wasn’t
going to get her anywhere. “Well, in that case, you wanted to talk, so let’s
talk.” The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t make a move to speak.
The waitress came back with their drinks and set the glasses in front of them.
Trace watching her was quite unnerving, and suddenly she was dying of thirst.
She grabbed her lemonade and downed half of it.

“Why did you run from me at the bar?”

Well, she knew he was a right to the
point kind of guy. “Honestly?”

He cocked a dark eyebrow.
“Of course.
I wouldn’t expect any less.” Funny thing was, as
she looked at him straight on, the very noticeable scar on his face wasn’t that
noticeable to her. In fact she hadn’t even paid any attention to it when she
had opened the door and seen him standing there. Maybe she’d get the nerve to
ask him how he got
it?
Oh, who was she kidding? Not only
would that be rude, but wasn’t she trying
keep
her
distance? Yeah, she was, but with each passing minute she was asking herself
why she was doing that? Would he really disrupt her life that much? Yeah, he
would, but keeping her distance seemed so silly when she was right in front of
him. Hadn’t she tried to tell herself over and over again since she realized
she now had a mate that he just wasn’t for her?

And
why isn’t he for you, Candace? Why are you trying so hard stay alone when it
hurts so much? Because you don’t know if you can trust a male, especially after
the shit Chad did. And you also are anal enough to think his very presence
would ruin your perfectly OCD life.

She might as well just come out with it.
“Because this might come as a shock to you, but you have this sovereign and
domineering presence about you. It is pretty freaking intimidating.” She looked
down, spread her hands over the napkin she had placed in her lap, and said,
“And because I was screwed over by my ex, and because of that don’t think I can
trust another male not to hurt me.” And as she looked at him again, Candace
knew that Trace could very well hurt her, and pretty damn bad. They had barely
touched, but already she wanted him like she had never wanted another male. She
wrapped a hand around her glass and refused to break the stare first. “Besides,
I didn’t know what else to do. You came out of nowhere, trying to place some
kind of claim on me, and I wasn’t ready for that … at all.” Trace didn’t say
anything, and she couldn’t get a read on what he might be thinking because his
face was emotionless.

“First, I’m sorry that some douche-bag
hurt you. I can beat his ass into next week if it would make you feel better?”
She cocked a brow, but he was being totally serious. “In fact, I might just have
to kick his ass to make myself feel better.” His voice was dangerously low, and
the deep rumble that came from him told her she should have just kept that
little piece of information to herself.

“No, I don’t want anyone’s ass being
kicked. He cheated on me, but it was over a year ago. I’ve moved on, started my
life once again, and just want to keep it behind me.” He ground his teeth, held
her stare, but finally he leaned back and nodded.

He cleared his throat and lifted his
hand to rub his hand over his short dark hair. “Yeah, I
do
come off pretty abrasive, but—” He leaned forward again and
rested his forearms on the table. His eyes looked so very green in the natural
light. “But I am even more so now that I’ve found you. I’d say sorry for coming
on so hard, but it would be a lie, and I won’t ever lie to you.” He snatched
her hand and brought it into the warmth of his. “I am what I am, a bear that is
used to getting what he wants. You put up a fight, and as much as it infuriates
me to have to chase what I want and to not have you bend to my will immediately,”
he lowered his voice to a husky, seductive growl, “I won’t deny that it makes
me harder than I have ever been.
You
make me fucking harder than I have ever been, Candace.” His total disregard for
what people might think if they heard him, which she didn’t doubt since a few
glanced their way, should have had her running in the other damn direction.