Bear, p.8
Bear, page 8
Xan scooted closer to Roxie and whispered, “What was that about?”
“Condoms.”
Her friend snickered as she took another shot from this new angle. “I had the talk with him this afternoon while I made him change Xander’s diaper.”
Roxie snorted. “Damn, that’s brilliant.”
“Right? Xander is way too young to be an uncle.”
“We gotta go, mom,” Scott said as he and Chad walked back over to them.
“Okay, sweetie.”
“Tuck in your shirt,” Roxie said, instinctively grabbing the hem of his pants.
“Mom,” Chad said, dodging her.
“You got a little something right here.” Xan licked her finger and tried rubbing it on Scott’s neck. Scott leaned to the side and rubbed it himself.
“Seriously, we’re gonna be late.”
“All right. All right,” Xan said.
They both held up their camera phones and took a bunch of shots of the boys opening the doors for their dates, Scott in Xan’s Honda and Chad in Teddy’s Camaro. When Roxie had asked why they didn’t just carpool together, her son had mumbled something about the girls having things planned out a certain way. Now that she thought about it, the whole condom conversation should’ve happened right then.
Once the boys drove off. Xan sniffled. “When did they get so big?”
“Girl, stop, or I’m gonna start bawling.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Brody sat in his truck with the baby. He’d started fussing as soon as they’d started taking the pictures. “You get all the poses you wanted?” he asked when Xan opened the side door.
“As much as they’d let me.”
“I’m sure it was plenty.” He strapped Xander back into his car seat. “We’ll follow you home, Roxie.”
Xan gave her a quick hug before Roxie walked to her car. She hated this whole bodyguard thing, but she understood the reason behind it. If she only had to worry about one of the guys following her around, it’d be much easier to deal with, but she wasn’t that lucky. She had a squatter in her front yard.
On the drive back home, she wondered how long Teddy was going to insist on staying. It’d only been a week and a half, but she knew he was very determined once he set his mind on something. The night he’d taken her home from the bar had proven that to her.
He’d had a one-track mind and had ended up rocking her world. She’d foolishly believed that they’d reached a milestone in their relationship. It’d been a stone wall instead.
When she pulled into her driveway, it was already getting dark. She waved at Xan and Brody as they got out of their truck. Xan had invited her over to watch a movie, but Roxie knew her friend was exhausted. Having a new baby took a lot of energy. Add a teenage boy and a hard-ass mercenary in the mix, and Roxie was surprised the woman wasn’t bathing in chocolate in a feeble attempt to keep her sanity.
She walked up the sideway, purposely avoiding glancing at the camper, knowing Teddy was just inside. After he’d detailed the Camaro and handed the keys over to Chad, he’d made himself scarce, but she’d spied him peeking through the window as Chad had left to pick up his date.
Because she’d been watching out the window, too.
She was almost to the porch when she heard the screen door open on the Airstream. Taking a fortifying breath, she turned around to face him.
And almost swallowed her tongue.
The man had his shirttail lifted and was wiping his forehead with it. She could see his entire chest, the ridges of his muscles, and the designs of his tattoos. He looked just the same as she remembered.
“Chad looked good tonight.” Teddy dropped his shirt and wiped his hand on a darkened spot.
“Yeah, he did.”
He stepped closer to her, and his gaze softened. “Have you been crying?” He cupped her cheeks and stared into her eyes.
She felt the water again, unsure if it was because of Chad’s big night or Teddy’s gentle care.
Why did he confuse her so much? He wanted to screw her silly, but then didn’t want anything to do with her. He pretended she was just one of the townspeople, but he was always there when her son needed something. When she needed anything. He avoided her at all costs but had parked his daddy’s camper right outside her house. He acted exasperated about her driving abilities but had bought her new tires.
Okay, that last one was probably legit. She had run over an obscene number of nails. It was just one of the several areas of her life that was a mess.
A tear leaked over and streaked down her cheek.
“Oh, babe.” He pulled her against his chest and hugged her tight. She hesitated only briefly before wrapping her arms around his torso.
She shouldn’t allow this closeness. It would only hurt later, but right now, it was exactly what she needed.
“He’s grown up so fast. I’m not sure I know how to be anything other than a mom.” She couldn’t believe she’d voiced that deep thought. She hadn’t told anyone that, not even Xan.
“That’s empty nest syndrome. Every parent goes through this fear. You’re not alone.”
“I feel alone.” So alone. And tired. She’d worked all her adult life for Chad’s care, putting her needs second or ignoring them altogether. Now, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. Was it finally time to focus on her own needs?
Teddy’s nose nuzzled her hair, and she both felt and heard his inhalation. There was something very primal about a male scenting a woman. She couldn’t help the tingle she felt between her legs. He clenched her hair, and she relished the sting in her scalp. Not able to resist, she turned her head and breathed him in, his masculine aroma seeping into her body, but then she caught a whiff of something else right on the darkened spot on this shirt. This scent lingered on his skin and threw her back in time.
Roxie pushed him back, and he let go of her immediately with a frown.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head as she walked backward. “You got a little something on your shirt.”
He glanced down and rubbed at the spot again. “Yeah, I bumped into the wall carrying my scotch,” he said as if he didn’t understand.
Because he didn’t. He’d been too drunk to remember the night they’d had sex.
The night he’d smelled just like that stain on his shirt.
There was a time she’d buy the stuff just to remember that night, but right now, it turned her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” he asked again.
She couldn’t tell him. Not after all this time. It was in the past, and he’d made his choice. After the hurt of that night, she’d tried flirting with him again, but that had gone over about as well as a trapdoor on a canoe. After that, she’d covered her heart with bubble wrap and had only flirted when she felt really good about herself. At least then, she wouldn’t be crushed by his rejection. But right now? She couldn’t do this. Any of this. “Nothing, Teddy. We just shouldn’t be touching.”
His hands fisted at his sides. “Mind telling me why?”
She propped her hands on her hips. “I don’t know. Will you remember in the morning?”
Teddy said something, but she didn’t stick around to find out. The last thing she wanted was to lose herself in that man again. She slammed the door behind her and walked into the living room.
When it didn’t immediately shut, she whirled around and saw Teddy standing in her living room, panting like a sexy beast.
Slowly, he shut the door, closing them alone in her house, and she knew beyond any shadow of a doubt there wasn’t enough bubble wrap in the world to protect her heart from this man.
Chapter Eleven
Roxie stormed up the porch, and Bear was moving before he ordered his feet to do so. When she blindly swung the door, he caught it in his fist and watched her. He didn’t know what the fuck he was doing, nor did he have any clue what she was going on about. Why the hell wouldn’t he remember hugging her?
When she turned around and faced him with that fiery gaze, her unruly hair bursting around the bun she’d tried to secure it with, all thoughts outside of her at this moment fled. There was no danger lurking, no teens testing curfew, no past or future. There was only right now.
This woman.
“Get. Out.”
“I think we need to have a little chat first.” Bear stalked toward her, and she backed up.
“I don’t have anything to say to you, you stubborn mule.”
“Always trying to get away from me. I remember a time when you couldn’t wait to get your hands on me.”
“There was also a time when I shit my britches, but I grew outta that, too.” Her back slammed against the wall, and Bear stepped right up against her.
“I love your fire.” He dipped his head and breathed into her ear. “I don’t care if you make me burn.”
She gasped and clutched his waist. “What are you doing?”
“Getting a taste of what you always taunt me with.” He reached down, cupped her ass, and hauled her against him like he’d always dreamed about doing. He’d studied her body so closely that his hand knew exactly where to go without him having to look. “Do you know how bad I’ve wanted you?”
She shook her head, and he felt her hands tremble against him. A protective instinct so strong came roaring out from deep inside him. He couldn’t explain this reaction to her, but there was no denying his need to coddle, to protect.
Claim.
She rocked her hips once, stroking his erection through his jeans, and damn, he didn’t want to blow right now. If he didn’t slow down, he’d pound into her so hard he’d leave bruises on the insides of her thighs.
He dragged his lips from her ear and across her cheek to her lips, but as soon as they grazed the corner of hers, she jerked her head to the side. “No kissing.”
Bear stood there, panting like a damn dog in heat. His dick was aching as she rubbed herself against him again. She didn’t want his mouth, but her pussy was still greedy.
He grabbed her hair and yanked, so that she was forced to look at him. “That rule apply to all areas of your body?”
“What?” she asked, breathlessly.
Instead of clarifying with words, he wanted to show her instead. He let go of her hair and resisted the urge to glide his hands down her body. Part of him knew if he groped her tits, he’d get too distracted, so he stepped back so that no part of him was touching her and reached for the snap of her jeans.
He hesitated, wanting to give her an opportunity to stop him, but when she just stared back, he slipped the button through its slit and slowly lowered the zipper.
She hadn’t pumped the brakes, so he dropped to his knees. He wanted to watch as he slowly revealed her body to his greedy eyes.
“Teddy,” she breathed. God, the way she said his name…and it wasn’t even really his. She’d created that nickname on the fly the day they’d met, and she’d been the only one to ever use it. In his mind, he’d pretended she said something altogether different. Whenever she called him Teddy, he translated it, baby.
He lowered the jeans to her knees because he was too impatient to go any farther. He returned for her lacy panties, and as he began to tug them down, his finger automatically traced a stretch mark along her hip. It was as if he wasn’t seeing her for the first time, that everything he’d ever fantasized about her he’d dreamed into reality. “Little momma,” he murmured before kissing the beautiful scar.
When a thin patch of red curls came into view, he sucked in a breath, losing all pretense of taking his time and teasing her. Bear dove in, inhaled her luscious scent, and groaned at how delicious she smelled. His tongue peeked out and lapped along her seam, and her taste quickly intoxicated him.
“Oh, God.” Her hand planted onto the top of his head, and her legs wiggled apart as much as her jeans allowed.
“You like that?”
She made a sound that could only be interpreted as an agreement, so he burrowed his tongue between her lips and lapped at her juices. Fuck, did he think she tasted like heaven before? No, this was true nirvana. The moment her flavor exploded on his tongue, he was a goner. Patience? Evaporated. Finesse? Destroyed.
Bear ate her like a man starved, and when he couldn’t get close enough to her, he pinned her to the wall with a forearm across her belly and used the thumb and forefinger of his other hand to spread her open. He squatted down and fucked her with his tongue, trying to look up at her while he pleasured her, but all he could see was her trying to squirm.
It was a beautiful fucking sight.
She rocked her hips, riding him but probably also trying to guide him to where she wanted him most. Oh, he was going to give her exactly what she craved, but right now, he was too busy tasting inside her.
So he feasted, nibbling on her outer lips, stabbing into her, licking everywhere he could. Everywhere but on her clit. He wanted her ravenous before he set her off.
Roxie’s other hand dropped to his head, and she tugged him with both. He’d laugh at her sheer tenacity if he wasn’t so fucking turned on.
“Please, please, please,” she began to chant, and he couldn’t wait any longer. He was rocking his own hips, fucking air, at how damn good she tasted, at how sexy she sounded, at how intoxicating she smelled.
He circled her clit with his tongue, inching closer, and she squealed. “Yes, give it to me.”
Bear growled, dropped his hand, and shoved two fingers inside her right as he fastened his mouth around her bundle of nerves. He finger-fucked her while his tongue lashed. He reached up with his other hand and pinched her nipple through her shirt.
“Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.” Her hips flexed in time with her chants, no longer restrained. Her pussy clamped down on his fingers right before she screamed. And still, Bear didn’t let up. He fucked and sucked her, drawing out as much pleasure as he had to give. When she began to shake, he eased back.
“Good girl,” he murmured, stroking his hands along her side as he slowly eased his fingers out of her still quivering channel. He kissed her hip once, twice, three times, and lifted her shirt slightly, enough to move his lips across her belly. He wanted to taste her everywhere and then do it all over again and again.
From what Chad said earlier, Bear would have hours alone with her.
Knocking sounded on the door. Roxie shoved him away, and he had to grab her thighs to keep from falling on his ass.
“Get up,” she whispered heatedly as she tugged up her panties and jeans.
“Roxie, open up! I brought wine to keep us occupied while our boys are out enjoying their youth.”
Bear stood and adjusted himself so he could walk without breaking his damn dick.
“I’mma get my key out, woman!”
“Shit,” she hissed. “I’m coming,” she yelled.
“You already came,” Bear corrected and leaned toward her.
Roxie swatted his chest. “Get your game face on,” she ordered.
She tugged her shirt down and looked at herself, adjusting the hem and her pants, and making sure everything was where it was supposed to be before walking to the door.
She yanked the door open with a huge smile. “Hey,” she said way too cheerily. Jesus, she should’ve just told the woman where Bear finger’s had been thirty seconds ago. She would’ve sounded less guilty.
“Oh, there you are,” Xan said, her gaze shooting to him. “Brody was looking for you earlier. He said something about Roc and Heather and a stupid phone call. Just like that.” She shrugged. “He’s back at the house.”
Bear knew Roxie’s walls had been tossed up, so he didn’t even try looking at her when he walked to the door. “Lock it behind me.”
“Yes, sir.”
That sass. Fuck me.
They still had things to work out—and more body parts to explore. Now that he had a taste of her, he wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon.
As he stepped away from the door, he heard Xan ask, “Why does it smell like sex in here?”
He hesitated only long enough to hear Roxie’s reply.
“Because I ain’t got the sense God gave a goose.”
Chapter Twelve
Roxie moved the hotdogs to the other side of the grill, so they wouldn’t burn to a crisp. Personally, she liked them a little charred, but she wasn’t the only one eating them.
“Not to sound sexist or anything, but aren’t the menfolk supposed to be the ones manning the grill?” Shelby asked as she snatched a chip from the picnic table.
“Seein’ as they’re all runnin’ around the grass, tossing a football, that’d be a big fat no,” she grumbled.
As soon as the guys had all arrived, they’d started tossing around a football, probably still high from Friday night’s game. With Chad and Scott getting ready for the dance yesterday and not making it home last night until right at their curfew, the Bang Shift guys hadn’t had a chance to celebrate with them. While Xan had been over last night waiting on their boys, she’d suggested they have a gathering today. Roxie wasn’t one to throw big parties like this, but after spending half the night dodging her bestie’s questions about Teddy being in her house, she’d latched onto the idea and run with it.
Spending the morning at the grocery store had had an added benefit. It had helped her keep some distance from Teddy. She had no idea what to say to him after last night. She couldn’t put on any big girl panties because, apparently, when it came to that man, all of hers were edible thongs.
“I’m glad Mason’s out there with them,” Shelby said with a smile. “He doesn’t let loose enough. Always so uptight.”
“Is that why he didn’t pick the skins team?” Heather said, as she leaned over and grabbed a strawberry.
“Shirts and Skins” was how backyard football games were played around here. One team played with their shirts off and the other kept theirs on.
Shelby giggled. “Oh, no. He has no problem showing all that sexy skin.” She nodded in Teddy’s direction. “It’s not often that man wears shorts. If he had one more hair, he’d be a bear. Oh, wait.” She smiled.
