Bear Humbug! Read online

  His mouth kissed the swell of her breasts, while his hands cupped them together. Moving his head, he began to lick and indeed tease her nipples until they were taut buds, sending massages of arousal to every part of her body. Her sex ached, needing to feel him inside her, the heat pooling between her legs signifying the intensity of her need.

  Maria tried to concentrate on taking off Declan’s clothes, but her fingers wouldn’t cooperate. They felt as if they had succumbed to frostbite.

  “Struggling?” he asked, releasing her breasts. He took a step back and stripped, inhumanly fast, reminding her of his other side, and then stood naked in front of her, his cock long, thick, and erect. She swallowed her panic. Damn, he was big. “Now your turn.”

  With her eyes fixed on his, difficult when they wanted to slide down and look at his magnificent erection, she undid her pants and let them fall to the floor. She hesitated over her panties, and Declan came to her.

  “Want a hand?” he asked, his fingers hooking around the elastic and pushing them down over her thighs. Bending down, his face level with her clit, she gasped when he moved his mouth to kiss her there, his tongue flicking out to taste her. “If only we had more time. I want to savor the taste of you on my tongue.”

  She nearly exploded at his words, her sex wet as he increased her arousal tenfold.

  But he was right, there was no time. Instead, he guided her towards the bed, easing her down and then lying beside her. “You are sure?”

  “More than anything in my whole life.”

  He slipped his hands across her thigh, and then moved towards her aching need. Drawing one finger along the length of her sex, he encouraged her to open herself to him. Trying to relax, she let her knees fall to the sides, and when he repeated the same movement, only this time delving into her heated depths, she opened fully for him.

  Another finger pressed inside her, working its way in and out, her breathing ragged as she felt her orgasm racing towards her. Declan leaned forward, and caught her nipple in his mouth, his tongue flicking over it, at the same time his fingers touched her clit for the first time.

  “Oh, oh,” she cried, her hands gripping the sheets and balling them up.

  Teeth grazed her nipples, his fingers working her into a frenzy, and then her orgasm hit her squarely. Declan pressed deeper into her, drawing his finger up over her clit, a steady rhythm he repeated until she thought the world had ended and she had gone to heaven.

  As her orgasm passed, she realised she had left him all hard and aroused, and unsatisfied. Now she wanted him to feel the same pleasure. Her hand curled around his shaft. He put his hand on hers and stilled her.

  “I won’t be able to hang on if you do that. And I really want to come inside you.” He moved his body, nestling between her thighs. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” she said, her hand on his back, fingers digging into his flesh as she spurred him on.

  Declan guided himself into her, pressing against her outer lips, and then he entered her, Maria’s sex gripping him tightly. His hips flexed forward, driving deeper, groaning with pleasure at the tightness of his mate. Her inner walls yielded to him as he impaled her on his cock.

  The sensations were almost too much. She cried out, feeling too full. As if he read her fear, he kissed her, his body still as he let her adjust to him, and slowly she relaxed.

  “I should have waited. I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said, stroking her skin, soothing her.

  “No. You didn’t hurt me. It’s just so much more than I thought it would be. You are so much more.” She stroked his face, kissing him lightly as he began to move gently inside her.

  The friction between them was intense; he slowly pulled out and then drove himself back into her, one deep thrust after another. Her orgasm hovered in front of her eyes, and she could tell by the tension in his body that Declan was close to coming.

  With his body brushing hers, he inflamed every nerve ending as he took her. They rose higher together, reaching their orgasms simultaneously, plunging over the edge as one. Fated mates, bonded mates. It didn’t matter what they were, only that they were together.

  Chapter Seventeen – Declan

  Declan stretched out his legs. The bunk was not exactly uncomfortable, but he would much rather be with Maria on this Christmas morning. He had never expected to find his mate; if he had, he would not have volunteered for a three-day stint of duty.

  But then, he couldn’t complain: he had spent a day going up the mountain with her. And then an hour in her bed on his return. Now he wished he had stayed there. Apart from a drunken disturbance by some young bucks over on the edge of town who swore they had seen Santa and his reindeer landing on the lower slopes of the mountain, and someone getting off the sleigh, the night had been quiet.

  He had let them off with a warning. It was Christmas after all, although when they kept insisting it had been his brother on the sleigh, he had felt like telling them to stop wasting police time. Now he had a long day ahead of him. If he were lucky some other lonely people would pass by, have a cup of coffee with him, and pass the time of day.

  Hey. Wait. He wasn’t lonely anymore. He had a woman. He had a mate.

  A huge grin spread across his face. He had a mate. This was going to be a thrilling new start for him. Would they all move out to his place, or would she invite him to live at hers?

  Yeah. That might be a stumbling block. What if Jason wanted to stay where he was, in his parents’ home, and didn’t like the thought of another man moving in? He would have to understand his feelings. He had waited this long, if he had to wait until Jason was old enough to leave home, or live in the house on his own, then so be it.

  Although Declan seriously wanted a family of his own. He loved the idea of little bear cubs gambolling around his feet on Christmas morning. What a wonderful thought.

  Someone knocked on the door. His heart leaped: maybe it was Maria, come to wish him a Happy Christmas. Then he looked at his watch. It was around nine. He doubted she would be here at this time. So it must be someone come to report a crime. On Christmas day.

  He pulled his boots on and did up his uniform, which was all crumpled. He sniffed; he really needed a shower. And a clean uniform. As soon as he had dealt with this, he would get cleaned up and changed.

  Keys in hand, he approached the door. Only to hear a “Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.”

  “Dermot.” He put the key in the door, opened it and then turned to face his brother. “What the hell are you doing here at this time?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. Didn’t know if you would be here either. Thought you had found your mate.” He came in, carrying two hot baguettes filled with bacon. They smelt wonderful and he realised he was starving; his romantic dinner in the cave with Maria was almost a day ago.

  “Thought I would bring you breakfast.”

  “Thank you,” Declan said, accepting the baguette and tucking in. “That is wonderful.”

  “You look terrible, by the way.” Dermot said, between mouthfuls.

  “It has been a rough couple of days.”

  “Tell me about it,” Dermot said nodding in agreement.

  “You have a black eye,” Declan said accusingly. “Don’t tell me you got into a brawl on Christmas Eve.”

  “I did. With a polar bear,” Dermot said matter-of-factly.

  Declan nearly choked on his food. “A polar bear. In Bear Bluff?” What had been going on over the couple of days while he was off in the wilds?

  “Oh, no. I have been to the North Pole. And I take it all back. Santa is real.”

  “So now I know you’ve been drinking.” Declan thought for a moment. “Hey. Did you really get dropped off by Santa in a sleigh?”

  “I most certainly did.” Dermot grinned. “He has a very sexy reindeer called Vicky.”

  This time Declan did spray his food. “You have the hots for a reindeer?”

  “She’s my mate,” he said simply.

  “Then we’ve both fulfilled that
pact we made,” Declan said with wonder.

  Dermot nodded. “I think Damon has too, although I’ve not heard from him since he nearly got ripped to shreds by a cougar.”

  “Was she his mate too?” Declan asked.

  “I think she was. We need to take him in for an interrogation. If we can find him.”

  “What a Christmas,” Declan said, leaning back in his chair. Then he had a prickling feeling along the nape of his neck. “She’s here.”

  “Who’s here?” Dermot asked, and then the door of the sheriff’s office opened and in walked Maria and Jason, their boots wet with snow. They had walked through the snow to see him on Christmas morning.

  “Oh, we brought you breakfast,” Maria said, eying the baguettes. “I see you’ve already eaten.”

  “We were starving, and still are, bears have huge appetites,” Dermot said, getting up and embracing Maria. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “Maria, this is my youngest brother, Dermot. Dermot, Maria. And this young man is Jason.”

  “Hello, Jason,” Dermot said and a flash of pain crossed his face, but he didn’t mention Jason’s parents. Instead, he grinned. “I think we are all going to be one great big family.”

  “Dermot met his mate too.” Declan had finished his first baguette and was eyeballing more food. Well, a bear had to eat.

  “She’s one of Santa’s reindeer.” Dermot said proudly.

  “That’s crap. Santa isn’t real,” Jason protested.

  “Oh yes, he is. In fact, if you come with me now, I will show you. Vicky said she would be back around ten. Come on. Maria and Declan can meet us on the North Slope when they are ready.” Dermot hooked his arm around Jason’s shoulders and guided him out of the door. He turned to wink at Declan. “Have fun, bro’.”

  As they left, Declan heard Jason interrogating Dermot about the real Santa. He smiled, silently thanking his brother for giving him some time alone with his mate. “It seems those two will get on well. Dermot is still like a kid. Especially at Christmas.”

  “So it seems fitting he’s got a reindeer for a mate.” She scrunched her face up. “He wasn’t joking, was he? Sorry. This whole people-turning-into-animals thing is still so new to me.”

  “Nope, he wasn’t joking.” Declan stood up and then had a thought. “I need a shower.” He longed to hold her and kiss her while they were alone. But a shower was a must.

  “OK.” She watched him grab a clean uniform from his bottom drawer and then head into the back where there was a small bathroom.

  There he stripped off, turning the water on, thankful it was warm because he needed a good scrubdown, and then got in under the warm jets. When he had worked up a nice lather and began washing his hair, he heard the door open. Someone was in the bathroom.

  Quickly swilling off all the soap, he opened the cubicle, a towel round his middle and one in his other hand drying his hair. A big grin crossed his face when he saw Maria leaning against the sink, watching him.

  “Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked, his smile widening as she unbuttoned her top button.

  “It’s a little hot in here, Sheriff.” She opened another button.

  “Are you feeling a little faint? Maybe I might need to give you the kiss of life,” he said, going close to her and easing her thighs apart so that he could nestle between them.

  “I think you might need to help me off with this first,” she said, undoing her last buttons. “I’m struggling to breathe with it on. It’s so restricting.”

  “Then let me do my duty and help you out of it.” It wasn’t the only thing he helped her out of. Once her shirt hit the floor, her bra followed. His hands cupped her breasts together, and he kissed them each in turn, a low growl emanating from his throat.

  Chapter Eighteen – Maria

  Damn, he felt good. His hands on her breasts, his mouth on hers, kissing her, making her come alive. Until Declan, she had been walking in a dream world. Now he was waking her, shaking her out of her dormant state and making her see and feel in new exciting ways.

  Oh yes, before Declan she would never have dreamed of being here, in a bathroom in a sheriff’s office, about to be stripped by a man who could turn into a bear. Her head spun: it was all madness, every little detail too wild to be real. Yet it was real, this man was real, and he was about to make love to her once more. And she couldn’t wait.

  Dropping to his knees, he dragged her clothes from her body, and then hooked his hands under her thighs to lift her into a sitting position, her bottom resting on the sink. Then he indulged himself in her wet sex. Pushing his tongue inside her, he growled in satisfaction to hear the moan that escaped her mouth. Probing deeper, he teased her, pushing in and out of her, deeper and deeper each time.

  Flicking his tongue upwards, he rolled it over her clit until she whimpered like an injured animal. Maria pressed fingers into his hair, and she lifted herself forward, asking for more. He gave it to her, his mouth covering her clit, sucking on her until her hips bucked, and her juices flowed as her arousal increased.

  Declan left her clit swollen and sensitive, to lap at her sex, tasting her, sucking on her, and then probing deep inside her. She leaned back, thrusting herself forward onto him, wanting more of him, needing him to go deeper. Her mouth opened in a wordless cry and then she crashed over the edge, his mouth driving her into the vastness of an abyss that had no bottom. An abyss of pleasure that he had created just for her.

  She closed her eyes, trying to get her thoughts together. But her brain had shut down; it had entered a primal mode, where procreation was the only thing that mattered. When Declan got to his feet, and came towards her, she knew they dwelt in the same place. He wanted her, and he wanted her now. The taste of her had excited him.

  If she was scared of what the future held, of how Jason would react to having Declan and his brothers around, those thoughts were now gone. She pictured an excited Jason, going up into the mountains with his new bear buddies, and knew things would work out. So when Declan moved to enter her, she wanted nothing more.

  One long, slow thrust. He filled her fast, an urgency taking hold of him; whether it was the environment they were in, the thought of being caught, or maybe just the need to be inside her, she didn’t know. Once he had impaled her on his cock, she no longer cared. This was the bear taking over, the beast that dwelt within him taking its mate.

  Damn, he stretched her: so big, so hard, so demanding. Easing back, he thrust home, filling her, making her cry out with every movement. Her hands pressed against his chest, her mouth kissing his clean skin, nipping his nipples, making him buck his hips forward. She excited him. She was his match, his mate.

  “I want you, Maria, and I don’t just mean like this.” He ground out the words, his hips still thrusting in a steady rhythm. “In my life, in my heart, in my soul. We belong together.”

  “I know,” she said, her voice rising higher as her orgasm crashed into her. “I understand it now.” And she did; their lovemaking only took what was between them to another level. He bucked hard, his body jerking erratically, and he filled her with his essence. Would this be one more gift they would receive at Christmas, a child of their own, a new life for their new start together?

  “I feel as if I’ve had a most intimate tour of your office, Sheriff,” she said after he helped her clean up and dress.

  “Well, anytime you want to stop by is fine with me,” he said winking. “But I guess we’ve been here long enough. I think we should go out and meet Dermot’s mate.”

  “Who is a reindeer.” She laughed. “That doesn’t sound weird at all now.”

  “See, you are already initiated into the secret life of Bear Bluff.” Declan led her out, grabbing his keys and kissing her on the lips as he locked up.

  “Want a ride, Sheriff?” A truck was coming up the road, snow chains on as it drove slowly through the snow. It was carrying three people in the front and six excited children in the back.

  “Where you headed?” Dec
lan asked.

  The driver winked. “Heard there was something special happening on the North Slope.”

  “Well, I guess as sheriff I’d better check it out,” Declan said, taking hold of Maria’s hand and leading her to the truck. The driver, who introduced himself as Parson, stopped, waiting for Declan to help her in back and then jumping in himself before driving off.

  “So everyone here knows. About the reindeer,” she whispered.

  “Dermot told my dad,” one of the children said.

  “Sometimes it’s hard to keep secrets.” Declan looked at her, smiling. “The secret life of Bear Bluff.”

  “What have I got myself into?” she asked, but couldn’t help but laugh.

  She was more than shocked when five minutes later they reached what could only be the North Slope. There, a small crowd of people were waiting. So this secret life was not so secret.

  “There’s Dermot and Jason, let’s go stand by them. I am intrigued as to what my new sister-in-law-to-be is like.”

  “Oh my,” Maria said at the same time as everyone else on the slope. She watched as something flew across the sky. She couldn’t make out what it was until it flew lower, its feet moving as though it were running through the air. And then its feet touched the ground, and a reindeer ran towards them.

  The animal stopped abruptly, and Maria watched as Dermot ran to her. Then before their eyes, the reindeer changed into a pretty young woman, her hair the same colour as a reindeer’s coat, her eyes a deep hazel.

  She spoke to Dermot, a telling-off, from the body language. Then the couple came towards them. Jason turned and waved, and the newly formed family stood together, a little awkwardly.

  Then Jason burst out, “Dermot says Rudolph is real too.” They all laughed.

  “He certainly is. And it’s thanks to him that we are together, and you had Christmas.”

  “Well, one day I hope to thank him,” said Declan, “because I think I got the best Christmas ever.”

  “I think we all did,” said Maria, looking around at the happy faces of the Bear Bluff townsfolk. Food and hot drinks were being shared, and somewhere a small group of people sang Christmas carols. It was wonderful, and Maria felt part of it at last. No more an outsider, not when she had Declan as her mate.