The BEARly Tamed Grizzly: Bear Clan, 3 Page 3

  “Who are you?” I asked again, whispering the question, not sure what was really going on but realizing that I didn’t want him to leave. I wanted to know everything about him. I wanted him to hold me and kiss me. I wanted him to show me that I wasn’t alone anymore.

  He straightened, packs of gauze in his hands, his body so big and powerful, so muscular that my arousal renewed, causing this electricity to move through my cells and take root in the very center of me.

  “I’m your mate.”

  And as he said those three words, I knew in that moment that everything would be okay.

  Chapter Five

  Oli

  I knew as she looked at me she questioned how she’d found herself in a diner with me at midnight.

  She kept glancing up, catching my gaze but quickly looking away. She was human, that sweet smell of fragility making me even more protective of her.

  After we’d cleaned up the van, something I’d found myself doing instantly, hoping the small act would ease her pain, I’d asked her to have coffee with me. I’d expected her to refuse. It would have been natural. She didn’t know me, and although she was my mate and I felt as though we’d known each other for our entire lives, it was slightly different for a human. Her body recognized me.

  She knew there was a connection, felt it. Her realization of it was strong, smelling like the crisp winter air in my nose. But she was confused, not quite sure what was happening.

  I wanted to clear it up here and now, tell her everything, lay it bare.

  I leaned back in the booth and watched her raise her mug to her lips and take a slow sip. She didn’t drink coffee, and instead liked tea with just one packet of sugar, although she’d asked for honey first.

  Her nails were painted this powder pink, her fingers delicate almost. She was a healer, helping people because it made her feel good, gave her purpose. I didn’t have to be a shifter to have sensed that, to see it. It was in her dedication, how she’d reacted as she’d looked at the trashed van.

  And on the heels of that, I thought about the motherfuckers who’d hurt her. My gaze landed on her upper arm, where her sleeve had lifted up slightly. I saw the bruise forming, the black and blue mark in the shape of a hand.

  I had to stop myself from growling, had to push my bear down because the bastard wanted out, wanted to hunt down the fuckers who’d hurt their female and tear them from limb to limb.

  “Are you okay?”

  Her soft, sweet voice pierced the fog of rage starting to consume me. I looked at her, realizing I was seconds away from shifting right in this diner. I cleared my throat and nodded. “Fine.” Her brows knitting told me she didn’t believe me, but I knew she wouldn’t ask, wouldn’t pry.

  But everything I was was because of her. Everything I did was for her. I was born to be her mate. I’d left my home in search of her.

  Did she know I’d gladly give my life for her? Did India understand just how much I already loved her?

  “My bear wants out,” I said honestly. There would be no secrets between us. She would know every detail about me, every little thing I was thinking. I would never lie to her. “My bear wants out because I want to find the fuckers who hurt you.”

  She licked her lips and glanced down at her coffee mug for a second. When she lifted her head and looked back at me, I could see the question was on the tip of her tongue.

  I answered before she could ask.

  “When I find them, which I will, I’m going to make them realize exactly what it means to feel pain. They’re going to know what happens when they hurt the mate of a shifter.”

  She didn’t say anything after that, but I could see she had a lot of questions. Her expression spoke loudly.

  “Do you understand what I mean when I say you’re mine, that we’re mates?”

  The pulse at the base of her neck beat wildly, and it took her a couple seconds before she nodded.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Although I don’t think I fully understand it.” She glanced up at me from underneath her dark lashes. “I understand that what I feel when I’m around you is confusing me and it scares me.”

  I found myself reaching out and taking hold of her hand in mine. She didn’t pull it away, but I did hear her inhalation of breath, as if she were startled by the contact.

  “We were born to be together, to find each other at this exact time, at this precise instant.” I ran my thumb over the back of her hand. “I’ve been searching for you my entire life.” I could see the realization in her face. “You’re mine, India. My fated mate, the one and only female that will ever complete me and my bear.”

  In that moment, it was just the two of us. We weren’t surrounded by the rush of conversation from others. There wasn’t the scent of cooking food coming from the kitchen. There was only me looking at my mate and knowing that everything in the world was fucking right.

  I just needed to convince her of that, because letting her walk away wasn’t an option. Not having her in my life was not how our story was going to end.

  * * *

  India

  I heard what he said, understood it, but I guess the reality of it wasn’t sinking in. Although knowing I was his mate seemed like the most natural, right thing in the world, the clinical part of my brain, the one that lived in the real world, saw real things, found it hard to believe.

  I knew about shifters, although I’d never actually met one in person—or maybe I had and hadn’t realized it. This all seemed a little surreal.

  The heat from the coffee cup seeped through my hands and I looked down at the translucent caramel-colored tea inside. “So this means you and I are ...bound together in some way?” I looked at him again to see his focus trained right on me.

  He leaned forward, his forearms braced on the table, the scent of his cologne, or maybe it was just his natural aroma, filling my head. I felt intoxicated.

  “It means you’re mine, forever, India.” His nostrils flared as he inhaled. I knew he was taking in my scent. I wondered what I smelled like to him.

  “Like the crisp air of an ocean breeze. Like the flavor that lingers on your tongue after you eat something sweet.” His voice dropped lower, his eyes going half-mast. “You smell like everything fucking good and right in the world.”

  God, I was getting wet.

  “And it makes me wonder what you’ll smell like when I’m deep within you, claiming you, marking you.”

  I saw his animal flash to the surface, wavering over his form. I gasped, too softly for anyone but him to hear.

  “You smell like mine, and there’s no way I’m letting you go.”

  Chapter Six

  Oli

  Lights from a passing car washed the motel room in muted yellow. Shadows and a glow moved across the ceiling until it disappeared.

  I had left the diner hours ago, but now that I had found my fated mate, being away from her, even for a few hours, was physically painful. But I knew she wasn’t used to all of this. She was a human, living in a human world. Although I was as well, shifters lived by different rules, experienced different things. If I had mated with a shifter, things would have gone so much easier.

  But I didn’t want easy.

  I wanted India.

  But with India I had to go slow, take my time. I had to make her see she was the only one for me. I was born to be hers, and she to be mine. And if it took my entire fucking life to prove that to her, to let her come to me when she was ready, then so be it.

  I sat up in bed and ran a hand over my face. I was tired but couldn’t sleep. I wanted to go to India. Both my bear and human side demanded it of me, roared out that I needed to take her, claim her. I needed to mark her pretty, slender throat, letting all other males know that she was mine.

  Through the slats of the blinds, I could see cars passing by on the highway. The motel I was in was temporary, just a side of the road establishment, somewhere for me to sleep. What I really wanted to do, where I really wanted to be, was with India, warm i
n her bed, her body pressed to mine as I buried my nose in her hair and inhaled deeply.

  I closed my eyes and did just that, still smelling her even though she wasn’t here. Tomorrow I’d see her again, and the day after that, and the next, and the next. I wouldn’t walk away, wouldn’t give up. If that meant living in this shitty motel in California for the rest of my life, then so be it.

  Because where India went I followed. Simple as that.

  * * *

  India

  What the hell was I doing? I couldn’t even focus, couldn’t even dress the simple wound because my mind was on Oli. It had only been a couple of days since we’d met for the very first time, since I realized I was mated to a shifter. And although he told me he’d give me all the time I needed, that we were going at my pace, I still felt his presence as if he stood right beside me.

  And I also couldn’t deny that I wanted to go to him badly, desperately even. It was as if I were missing something, a different feeling than before he’d come into my life. Whereas I felt that black hole filled, that loneliness leave me with Oli here, not being beside him after knowing he was mine had this weird sensation traveling through me.

  It was like I was missing a limb, a part of my body.

  I finished wrapping the dressing and smiled as the elderly man thanked me. I shouldn’t be at work today because I couldn’t concentrate. Not only could I not stop thinking about Oli, but my body was perpetually aroused, this heat moving through me so intensely I almost felt nauseous not being able to be with Oli.

  “I’m going to take five minutes, okay, Dr. Perrera?”

  Leslie, our volunteer physician, glanced up from doing an exam on someone, her smile genuine. “Of course. I’ve got it taken care of. Take all the time you need.”

  I stepped out of the van and walked around to the back where my car was parked. It was a slow day today, not very many people needing medical assistance. Logan was in charge of taking the van up and down the coast, so today was relatively easy for me, given the fact I only had this one shift.

  That was good either way because my mind just wasn’t focusing, and that wasn’t safe for anyone. I unlocked my car and sat in the driver’s seat, leaving the door open, smelling the ocean air, the breeze warm.

  I rested my head back on the seat and closed my eyes. I had one leg out of the car, not sure why I was even sitting out here as it was a little too hot. But being cooped up in the van, not able to concentrate, was driving me crazy. I opened my eyes and looked straight ahead, seeing the ocean in the distance, the beach filled with people. If I were being honest, I didn’t care for the crowds in California. I was a solitary person by nature, maybe because I’d grown up by myself. I’d gotten used to that way of living.

  But I didn’t want to be away from Oli.

  I didn’t even know him, hell, I don’t even know his last name. But I felt like I did know him. It was like a contradiction. I felt I could just look into his eyes and understand everything about him. It was so strange to feel this way, to know that I was mated to a shifter.

  It also felt so right.

  The tingling on the back of my neck intensified and I looked to my right, not seeing anyone who would make me feel like this. I glanced to my left and felt my heart start to race, my stomach dropping. There, across the parking lot and sitting in a truck, was Oli. He had his gaze trained right on me, and although maybe I should’ve been frightened, a little weirded out that he was here, maybe stalking me, all I felt was relief.

  I found myself climbing out of my car, shutting the door, and walking toward him before I even knew exactly what I was doing. I watched as he straightened in the seat, his jaw working as he clenched his teeth together. I swore I could hear the low growl coming from him. And the closer I got to him, the more things seemed perfect and right. The more I seemed completed.

  I found myself standing on the other side of his door, staring at his hands, thinking about what I wanted him to do to me with them. They were curled around the steering wheel despite the vehicle being off. I looked down at them, his strong, long fingers and golden skin, as if he’d worked outside in the sun and it had kissed him, and it turned me on more than I’d ever admit out loud.

  But his knuckles were white from the force of his hold, from the way he gripped the leather, the creaking of it seeming overly loud.

  I moved my gaze up his forearms, the dark ink continuing to move along his biceps, disappearing underneath the sleeves of his shirt.

  My body wasn’t my own anymore. It was like my brain was on autopilot, letting this mating, this foreign experience, take over. I didn’t want to fight it. I wanted to know more about Oli. I wanted to bask in the feelings he conjured in me, the warmth and sensation of having someone in my life just for me.

  “Oli.” I said his name softly and instantly heard this low, rugged growl leave him. I stared into his eyes and felt the world open up, swallowing me whole. And I wanted it to. I wanted to fall headfirst into everything that was Oli.

  “Tell me,” he said harshly. “Whatever you want is yours.”

  My breathing increased the longer I stared into his eyes. There was this pull between us, this invisible thread that had me taking a step forward, needing to be closer to him. It was physically painful not to be with him, and every second that passed the discomfort grew, swallowing me whole like the world was doing.

  “Are you stalking me?” The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. Oli looked taken aback for a second, but then this smirk grew across his face.

  “If following my mate to make sure she’s protected is stalking”—he shrugged—“then yes, I am,” he said unapologetically.

  I should have been shocked, horrified by his admission. But I felt the increase of desire. My panties were damp from how aroused I was, and I had no doubt my nipples were hard little points pressing against my shirt. There was no doubt he could see, smell ... feel my reaction to him.

  I licked my lips and ran my hands up and down my pants, my palms sweaty, everything in me burning out of control like a raging forest fire. And the only person who could put it out was Oli.

  “I don’t want to fight this,” I found myself saying, those words, that truth, shocking even me. I wanted to get to know Oli better, wanted to understand what all of this meant. “But I need to go slow. I need to get used to it all.” I took a step back when he opened the door.

  He unfurled his big, muscular body from the driver’s seat. Craning my neck back to look into his face, I felt my breath catch. He was just so tall, so powerful. With broad shoulders and all hard, cut and defined muscles.

  He made me feel fragile, as if I would snap in two in his grasp. He lifted his hands and I didn’t move away, I couldn’t. And when he cupped my cheeks, moving his thumbs along my skin, right under my eyes, his hold most definitely possessive, proprietary, I felt everything else fade away.

  Nothing else mattered except us, this moment, being mated to this bear shifter.

  “India.” He said my name low, husky. His gaze was locked on my lips, and I found myself looking up. It was as if he was reaching out and touching my mouth, running his thumb along the bottom swell.

  I found myself parting my lips, inhaling deeply. I’d never wanted—desired—anyone or anything like I did Oli.

  “You hold all the power. You call the shots. And if you need years, I will be here. I’m not going anywhere, India. I’m never going to leave you.”

  Chapter Seven

  India

  The next night

  This all seemed so mundane, sitting beside Oli at the movie theater, as if we were a regular couple going on a regular date. But how were we supposed to know each other, understand how the other one worked, if we didn’t do these ordinary things?

  I glanced over at him and couldn’t help but smirk. He was just so big that he looked uncomfortable sitting in that little seat. He kept moving around, bending his long legs, then extending them.

  His thighs were like tree trunks
, thick and powerful, unwavering. I shouldn’t have looked at his crotch, at the way his jeans bulged in that one spot, no doubt what he was packing was huge. My throat tightened as I envisioned exactly what he had hiding behind that denim.

  He looked over at me and I quickly glanced away, feeling my cheeks heat at the fact that he could’ve caught me staring at him ... at that area of him. Thank goodness it was dark in the theater, the movie about to start.

  I had a bucket of popcorn in my lap and I started shoveling kernels in my mouth, trying to deter from the fact that I was extremely worked up right now.

  But who was I kidding? I’d been instantly worked up as soon as I’d seen Oli. And in fact, it had only grown.

  Although I wasn’t looking at him any longer, I could feel his gaze on me, could see out of the peripheral of my vision that he still watched me. I was trying to act calm and collected, like I wasn’t extremely wet right now, my panties rubbing against the swollen folds of my pussy.

  I picked up the cup of soda, the lemon lime flavor and bubbles doing nothing to help quench the thirst I had.

  Only Oli could.

  God, he kept looking at me, kept making me very aware that he was right there, sitting next to me, just a couple of inches away.

  The lights dimmed even further and I did turn my head and glance at him then, our gazes clashing. My mouth parted slightly, my heart racing. All it would take was for me to lean in just an inch and our mouths would touch.

  I’d finally know what it felt like to kiss him.

  But I was too much of a wimp, reminding myself that going slow was the best option, right? Taking our time was the right thing to do, right?

  But it didn’t matter how many times I said that, repeating it in my head like a mantra, I didn’t want to go slow. I didn’t want to take my time. I wanted Oli fast and furiously, wanted to know what it felt like to be mated to a shifter in all ways.