Bear of Interest Read online

  “Welcome Samantha,” said everyone and near enough at the very same time. Their voices echoed around the valley where they were, making it sound like thunder.

  The chicken they’d grilled was the best she’d tasted, ever. The baked potatoes, well, it made her wish she could cook and eat like this every day. There was even cake and ice cream for dessert.

  “How’s my bear painting coming along?” asked Brady.

  “You should have it soon because I’m getting started on it this weekend,” said Sam.

  “That’s great. And I hope you’ll be attending my wedding.”

  “I thought you were already married.”

  “I am but my wife wants the huge lavish late fall wedding, post baby.”

  “Sure she’ll be attending, and with me,” said Cole, sneaking up and putting his arm around her.

  “Did I tell you that our son already has a tooth coming in? I tell you that boy is going to be like no other.”

  Brady turned and walked away. “I can see that he’s going to be as competitive with Landon as he was himself,” said Cole. “He’ll probably use him to compete with my son.”

  “You have a son?” asked Sam.

  “No, no, I mean when I have one.”

  “So you do want a family.”

  “Every bear eventually wants one of those.”

  ****

  Cole wasn’t much better holding still in bear form than he was in human form. He’d tried standing up on his back legs for a bit and then lying down on the grass. He wanted to tell Sam to hurry but in bear form he couldn’t communicate with her like he could with a fellow shifter. His nose itched so he twitched it. That didn’t help so he swiped it with his paw.

  “That’s so cute,” said Sammy.

  She was beautiful with her straw hat, sunglasses and off the shoulder top. She’d been painting for about an hour. He couldn’t wait to see the results. He desperately wanted to ask her how much longer she’d be because he either needed to go for a run or shift back. They’d planned this camping weekend. He’d borrowed a camper van from one of cougar shifters and in it he had a surprise waiting for Sammy.

  “Looks like you’re suddenly smiling,” said Sammy.

  Was his bear that transparent? Still it hadn’t given the secret away. He only hoped she wouldn’t be angry with him for buying it, but the timing was perfect.

  He rested his head on his paws, the sun beating down on his coat. This was about as good as life could get.

  “Oh Cole, you moved again. You want to take a break?”

  He stood up and slowly shifted back. Some of the human women got panicky about seeing them shift, but after her initial shock, Sammy had no problem with it whatsoever. He was about to reach for his pants when Sammy stopped him.

  “No point in getting dressed because we’re going back to the camper and you’re going to make love to me all afternoon.”

  She grabbed his cock and ran her hands up and down it.

  “You mind if I do this then?”

  She giggled as he lifted her up and she had to hold her hat on her head. She told him she was now taking care of birth control which meant no more barriers between his dick and her pussy.

  Music to a bear’s ears.

  Cole kicked open the camper and eased through them both the door. He set Sammy down on the bed at the back. He kissed her shoulders while pushing the top. Her skin was a little red where she’d sat out painting for most of the afternoon. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her breasts felt firm, their nipples hard and ready for his mouth.

  She played with his hair, twirling her fingers through it as he went lower, onto her belly, lapping at its button as he dragged her pants down her thighs and calves. She wasn’t wearing any panties either and the scent of her arousal almost made him come. He parted her legs, seeing her cream glistening and a pussy that he couldn’t resist

  “I have a treat for you,” she said.

  He looked up at her smiling down at him. She reached for a bottle of honey, the sort sold in little plastic bears. She handed it to him. All sorts of naughty thoughts went through his mind about what he’d do with it.

  He opened the top, got a whiff of the nectar and then dribbled some on his fingers. Cole worked it around her folds, the smell of it and her juices almost making him dizzy. He spread more on his fingers, before easing the amber colored liquid around her opening and up inside her.

  Cole placed his hands on her thighs as she opened wide for him. He put his face toward her pussy and soon was lapping every bit of honey from her labia and pussy.

  She wasn’t holding still, she was wiggling and groaning and he had to take control of the situation. He pressed down on her thighs, stilling her so he could suck and flick until she screamed and groaned. More juices pumped out of her as she sat up and looked at him.

  “Get on your back bear, because I’m going to honey your cock.”

  How he didn’t come there and then, he didn’t know. Bears didn’t like their women to tell them what to do, to be ordered around by a female was a no-no, but he’d make this one exception.

  He flipped over and looked at the top of the camper as Sammy squeezed the bottle of honey along his shaft. It felt cold but wonderful and then her tongue was on him. He closed his eyes, enjoying Sammy’s mouth devouring him.

  Cole put his arm over his eyes, groaning and pleading for her to never stop. A couple of times he wanted to come so bad. He could feel his release building, almost making him want to shift but he held on because he knew when he did there was only one place he wanted to be and that was inside his mate.

  Chapter Twelve

  Cole moved back and forth slowly. Too tantalizingly slow for Sam’s liking. He kissed her as his hips pushed forward, sending his cock upward and grazing her G-spot. Yeah, she knew she had one of those now. She outlined the muscles in his back. They stood out allowing her to admire the powerful beast who was hers. She slid her hands down his body, letting them rest on his butt. He had a great one. Muscular and firm. She held it as he began moving his cock inside her. He knew that drove her over and edge. She caught her breath as her first orgasm built and took control.

  Her nipples tingled as he bit her bottom lip. Another climax, and then another one. He began moving again, that powerful body gliding over hers. She held his biceps, thinking how one day she’d like to have this man’s baby. He wanted a family. He’d told her. She wanted one too now that she’d met Cole. He’d be a great father. Together they’d give their children something she never enjoyed: stability and certainty for the future.

  Wow, he was driving her crazy and she was going to come big time. She shook and screamed, glad they’d found some private land to camp on.

  “I’m going to turn you over so I can do something I have to do before I do something else.”

  She knitted her eyebrows together. She had no idea what he was talking about, but she wasn’t going to ruin the moment by asking him to repeat it.

  Once he’d slid out of her, she flipped over, feeling him parting her ass cheeks and within seconds he was deep in her pussy.

  “Ouch,” she said. Was he biting the back of her neck?

  “Sorry, but it’s a ritual.”

  Cole’s cock slapped inside her as his teeth grazed her skin. Suddenly she wasn’t feeling any pain in her neck, but beating the bed with her fists because her orgasms felt so damn good. She was sleepy now too. She relaxed into the quilt and then felt Cole come inside her. He took most of his weight but the two of them lay together as one.

  “What was all the biting about?” she asked, almost falling asleep.

  “You’ll see soon enough.”

  ****

  Cole cleared away the plates from the tiny camper’s kitchen. The hamburgers had been grilled to perfection. In fact, the whole meal had been extra special. Sammy put the remaining coleslaw into the container and slid it into the fridge. His hand shook as he spooned out the strawberry ice cream and turned his back toward her so she could see wh
at he was slipping into her scoop.

  “My favorite,” she said, standing on tiptoe and peering over his shoulder. He pushed it down with the spoon hoping it was well covered. He wanted this to be the best surprise of her life.

  “There you go,” he said, handing her the dish.

  She sat down and spooned up some of the ice cream and put it into her mouth. Cole watched with interest. One or two more of those and she should find the surprise.

  “Aren’t you having any?” she asked him.

  “Sure.” Cole began eating, but still kept his eye on Sammy, longing to see her reaction.

  He momentarily took his eyes off her and next thing he knew she was coughing and then choking, pointing frantically at her throat.

  Holy shit, she’d swallowed it. He never meant for that to happen.

  “Don’t panic, hold still,” he said. He rushed behind her, put his arms around her chest and pushed upward, giving her the Heimlich maneuver. The object flew out of her mouth, hit the fridge, and then bounced around and landed by her sandals. She coughed a few more times before looking down.

  “Is that what I think it is? Did I just swallow an engagement ring?”

  “You sure did and I’m sorry that happened, but I was hoping it would be a surprise. I didn’t think you might swallow it.”

  Sammy leaned over and lifted up the ring. Sadly, it was no longer in its sparkling pristine condition.

  “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Bits of strawberries on it and all.”

  “So what’s the answer?”

  She handed it to him and he thought it was going to be no. No, it’s too soon to commit to you.

  “Are you going to slip the ring on your fiancée’s finger or what?”

  Cole smiled; he was going to marry his mate. He pushed it on her finger and kissed her. She tasted like strawberry ice cream.

  “Is that what the biting my neck was about? Is it part of the proposal?” asked Sammy.

  “Well, sort of. When a shifter bites the back of his female’s neck it means he’s found his mate.”

  “So I’m your mate and you’re mine.”

  “That’s how it works.”

  “So when are you thinking of tying the knot?”

  “I don’t want us to be overshadowed by Brady and Jenna’s nuptials so definitely after they’ve got their wedding out of the way,” said Cole.

  Sammy smiled. “You guys. I’m betting one day you’ll end up as the best of buddies.”

  “Yeah, when hell freezes over.”

  “You’ll see; some event will bring you together.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sam looked at her ring. It looked so much prettier now that it had been cleaned of all evidence that it had entered her throat and upper digestive tract. Her choking on it would certainly be a story to tell their children and grandchildren. A lucky thing that her fiancé was a doctor. She was getting married. She was going to be a doctor’s wife. She was going to be a bear’s mate. She’d been so busy looking at the ring that she hadn’t seen a fellow detective walk into her office.

  “You’ll never guess what? We just got an anonymous tip. Some lady was drinking with this guy in one of the breweries in town and he was bragging that he’d been the guy who killed this woman he’d knocked up and dumped her out near Flathead Lake.”

  “Margo Henderson?” asked Sam.

  “Sounds like it to me.”

  “Anything else she say?”

  “That he’s been renting a cabin in the RV park close to Glacier.”

  “I think we should go have a chat with him don’t you?”

  “I definitely do.”

  Arresting the killer would be some good news, finding him, knowing that she could get some closure for Margo’s parents. She grabbed her purse and headed out of the department. If this was the guy she couldn’t wait to tell Cole either. If it hadn’t been for him, Margo could have laid there decomposing and may never have been found. And yes, on the more personal side, she wouldn’t have met her mate.

  ****

  “How are you feeling?” Cole asked Mia. He took vial of blood and set it in the tray and prepared to get another one.

  “I’ve only had the one mating cycle since you started my treatment and it was shorter than I ever remember them being. My mark disappeared after a day.”

  “That’s not a bad thing. It shows the formula is at least working on bringing back some of your fertility.” Cole put the vial on the counter. He’d run the tests as soon as possible to see if Mia had gotten pregnant during the first round of shots.

  “There’s no mark on me now so I guess that means no baby, right?”

  “Not necessarily.” Cole took hold of her hand. Mia was the first shifter he’d tested his new fertility drugs on. She was one of the oldest surviving females and if it worked on her, he knew it could work for the younger ones too. His pioneering treatment was the main reason he’d returned to work at the clinic.

  “How come the shifters who mate with humans have no trouble getting pregnant?” asked Mia.

  “Maybe it’s human DNA that’s the key,” said Cole.

  “So are you and Sam hoping to have babies?”

  Cole smiled. That was one thing he was looking forward to once they were married. They’d both said they wanted four. Sam wanted to make up for her own lost childhood. He wanted a sense of family and belonging. Together they’d make the happiest family on the block.

  “Oh yeah, lots of them.”

  A tear slipped down Mia’s face. “We had the chance to take in an orphaned wolf shifter but we chose not to because we thought we’d have our own one day. I guess I was a bit of a snob with her being a wolf and not a cougar. Look where that got me.”

  Cole wrapped his arm around her. “You’re going to be a mother. One way or another you’re going to have a child.”

  She tapped him on the nose. “Does your fiancé know how lucky she is to have captured your heart?”

  “I think I’m the lucky one,” said Cole.

  ****

  Sam signaled that she’d go around back to make sure the suspect didn’t run out of the back door when he realized the police were here to talk to him. It was starting to rain and mud was starting to form in the RV park. Glacier was just a mile up the road and would close up for the season in another six weeks, but maybe she and Cole should squeeze in one last weekend getaway before the wedding. Maybe they could even hold a winter wedding in one of the lodges.

  Sam Hardy, get your mind back on the job at hand. You know that’s rule number one.

  She flattened her back against the wood frame by the door, hearing her partner shouting the man’s name and banging on the cabin door.

  The rain fell heavier and she couldn’t hear anything until a gunshot rang out. Her heartbeat picked up and her legs went weak. She heard movement at the front of the cabin and gradually made her way around to check it out. She saw her partner lying on the ground. She raised her gun and checked the area but the suspect had obviously shot him and made a fast getaway.

  “Officer, down, need emergency assistance,” Sam called into her radio.

  She walked over to him but had to look the other way. The suspect had hit him clean in the head. Bob had probably not even known what hit him, which was a blessing. He had a wife and two little boys. She bit her lip to stop herself from bursting into tears. She didn’t know how long an ambulance would take but in the meantime he was going to get soaked. Even in death he deserved to be warm. She took off her raincoat and was about to place it over him when she felt a sharp pain in her back. She fell forward, landing on top of Bob. She couldn’t move as rain beat down on top of her. She wasn’t sure what had happened but when she saw blood and rain mixing and seeping into the ground beside her, she knew the suspect hadn’t fled like she’d assumed, but had been watching and had shot her too.

  Cole, would she ever see Cole again? Would he know just how much she loved him?

  Chapter Fourteen
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  Cole read the results back from Mia’s blood test. She wasn’t pregnant but judging by the high level of her hormones, she was entering another mating cycle which was great news. She and her husband would have another shot at becoming parents. He was about to leave his office to tell her when Bear came in. He could see tears in his eyes. Had a shifter in their care suddenly died? They didn’t have many patients at the moment. Had something happened to Hannah?

  “Cole, it’s Sam.”

  At first he thought he was referring to his stepson Sam, but when he sat down and threw his arms around Cole’s neck, he knew it was his Sammy.

  “I have some bad news for your buddy. I’m so sorry.”

  Cole’s heartbeat went through the roof and he almost shifted.

  “Tell me what’s happened?”

  “She was shot,” said Bear.

  Cole’s mouth opened but nothing came out. His mind couldn’t take in what Bear had just told him. He must be dreaming but he wasn’t.

  “No, not Sammy,” sobbed Cole. “She’s my mate. Is she…”

  He couldn’t get the word ‘dead’ out. He’d never accept it if she was.

  “No, but she’s having emergency surgery and I’m going to drive you to the hospital, okay?”

  Cole stood. “Get me there ASAP and I’ll pay for any speeding ticket you get. Then find me whoever did this and I’ll kill them.”

  ****

  Liam and Lucy hugged him as Bear went and got them all drinks and sandwiches. It was great of him to think Cole needed food to keep his strength up, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to eat anything. Well, not until he was told his mate was going to be okay.

  It had seemed like hours since they’d arrived. He’d learned her partner had been killed and the suspect was the man linked to Margo Henderson’s murder. If only she hadn’t been the detective on the case. But if that was true he would never have met her. Trent Burgress had arrived with a host of other police officers from the department and thirty minutes ago they’d announced the suspect was in custody.