Bear Mountain Bride: Shifter Romance Read online

  Gradually, he picked up the pace, thrusting harder and harder, his hips slapping against the soft skin of her inner thighs as he moved inside of her. Tessa closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of him pounding her, feeling the pace of his thrusting build and build until he was hammering her at a pneumatic pace, her lower half feeling as though it was melting into cream as he fucked her. She moved her hands along his body, taking sweet pleasure at the feeling of his hard body underneath her touch, his torso seemingly created by the hand of a Greek sculptor. Tessa was in awe of his body, it was so perfect that she couldn’t even understand it; everything about Atticus physically was pure perfection.

  She wrapped her hands around the wide span of his upper torso, resting her face on his brawny shoulders, taking in his musk as he continued to pound her. Tessa let her body relax, loosening her muscles and allowed no feeling other than the radiating waves of pleasure take hold, letting the world beyond melt away as Atticus buried himself into her, over and over.

  Tessa felt an orgasm begin whipping into a froth deep within her. Atticus was fucking her at just the right pace, just the right intensity, for her to be lulled into the trance-like, almost hypnotized state that she knew would bring her to orgasm. She took in another slow draw of air through her nose, the scent of Atticus doing something to her, something that she didn’t understand. He smelled like pure man in his natural state, straight out of nature. She took another breath as he continued to fuck her, her legs nearly limp from the intensity of feelings that were coursing through her body like a rushing river.

  Atticus’s grunts continued. Tessa had never had sex with him before, but she could easily sense that he was about to cum, and cum hard, his deep, full breaths signaling his orgasm’s arrival. And her own came closer and closer, ebbing and flowing like a steadily rising tide, pulling back, only to lap up further along the shore with the next wave. Next, her arms began to slacken and loosen, the power of his cock seemingly taking away her ability to keep her muscles flexed.

  Tessa moaned more and more, her sounds of pleasure almost taking on a tone of pleading, as though begging him to fuck her, to not stop, to never stop, to pound her until her orgasm ripped through her.

  Her orgasm arrived soon, followed by Atticus’s. Pleasure blasted through Tessa’s body like an unstoppable wave, her eyes rolling into the back of her head, her toes curling, her fingers digging into the thick skin of Atticus’s back. He grunted hard, emptying himself into her, driving his cock into her body as far as it would go. Tessa felt a brief, shrill scream escape her throat as Atticus unloaded himself into her, spraying his seed deep into her body.

  Then, he slowed down, and Tessa’s orgasm ebbed gently. They held onto each other’s body for a moment, each taking slow, deep breaths.

  Tessa couldn’t remember the last time she’d been fucked like that.

  CHAPTER 10

  Tessa sat on the floor, her nude legs splayed in front of her. Not only did she not want to move, she didn’t think she could even if she had to.

  “Well, that’s a first,” she said, Atticus sitting next to her.

  “What, having sex?”

  Tessa playfully slapped Atticus on the arm.

  “No, jerk.”

  “Having sex with the electrician, then?”

  “Well, I guess that would be another first. But I was referring to cheating.”

  “Ah. That’s what some might call a dubious honor.”

  “I suppose so,” said Tessa, debating how much to tell about her situation with Lucas to this man who she still didn’t know.

  “I’ve never been married myself, so I wouldn’t really know about those kinds of things.”

  Tessa raised her eyebrows in surprise.

  “You’ve never been married?”

  “No, ma’am,” he said.

  “That’s…surprising,” said Tessa.

  “How do you mean?”

  “Well, you’re about my age, right? Late thirties?”

  “Yeah, thereabouts.”

  “When I think of a man my age who hasn’t ever been married, a man like you isn’t who comes to mind.”

  “Oh?” asked Atticus, raising an eyebrow. “And what kind of man does come to mind?”

  “The kind of guy who still lives with his parents. And spends most of his free time jerking off and playing video games.”

  “Who says I don’t live with my parents?” he asked, a sly smile on his face.

  Tessa slapped him on the arm again.

  “And who doesn’t love jerking off and playing video games?”

  Tessa laughed.

  “OK, I get it,” she said.

  “Seriously, though, I’ve had my fair share of serious relationships that went on for years, but nothing that ended in getting hitched.”

  “Hmm,” said Tessa. “Sounds like someone’s got high standards.”

  “More that I’m the sort of guy who enjoys his freedom. Well, take our little rendezvous just now,” he said. “Not really the type of thing you can do when you’re tied down.”

  “Didn’t stop me,” said Tessa.

  Atticus let out a quick laugh.

  “I suppose you’re right. Though I get the impression there’re some extenuating circumstances in your case.”

  “You’d be right on that.”

  “Anything you want to talk about?”

  Tessa did want to talk about it. She wanted to blurt out the who situation with Lucas, to get it off of her chest, to hear someone else’s opinion on the matter. But, again, she decided against it.

  “Like I said, I think I’ve got an ex.”

  “Say no more,” said Atticus.

  Reaching across the kitchen and grabbing his pants, Atticus checked his phone.

  “Whew,” he said, looking at the time. “I think I need to get going.”

  “Duty calls, huh?”

  “Something like that.”

  He got up and stepped into his pants. Moving around the kitchen, he picked up his clothes and put them on, one after the other.

  “I suppose we should talk business?” asked Tessa, standing and fetching her own clothes.

  “Huh? Oh yeah, I did fix your electricity.”

  He furrowed his brow in thought.

  “You know what? I think this one’s on me.”

  Tessa raised an eyebrow.

  “I hope you’re not thinking we have a quid-pro-quo arrangement going on.”

  “Ha. No, not at all,” he said, pulling his shirt on, Tessa feeling a slight tinge of disappointment as he covered up his body. “It was an easy job and I think it’s the least I can do for someone who’s going through what looks to be a tough situation.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  He reached into his back pocket and slipped out a silver card case.

  “On one condition: You need any help, be it electricity-related or otherwise, you give me a call.”

  “Aren’t you a good Samaritan?” said Tessa, taking the bone-white card with his information on it from Atticus and looking it over.

  “Just think of me as a friend,” he said with a smile.

  Tessa smiled, noting that part of her wanted to think of him as more than that.

  His boots on, he walked towards the door.

  “Anyway, I should get moving. Pleasure doing business with you, ma’am,” he said.

  “Likewise, sir,” Tessa responded.

  Atticus gave her a slight nod and headed out, Tessa’s eyes on him as he walked out to his black truck, tossed his tools in the back and with a final wave, drove off. A strange sense of longing in her heart, she watched as truck disappeared down the curving, winding road of the forest.

  CHAPTER 11

  Pulling his truck onto the main road of Branlen, Atticus Swift checked the schedule in the phone one last time, confirming that he was done for the day. Upon seeing that he was, he let out a sigh as he considered the workday that he had just finished. The memory of Tessa was as fresh in hi
s mind as it could possibly be. Sleeping with a single woman while on a job wasn’t new to him, but this one was different. Ever since he had spotted her the other night while out with his brothers, he felt drawn to her. And when he learned that she was having troubles, troubles that put her safety at risk, he knew that it was time to enter her life in a more direct way.

  Sure, his brothers and the other members of the pack objected, but he was their Alpha, and one of the benefits of that position was that he didn’t have to listen to siblings of a lower rank. But making unilateral calls like this came with a cost, and he knew he could only do so sparingly unless he wanted to risk a younger member of the pack challenging his leadership.

  All of this weighed on Atticus’s mind as he turned onto the gravel road that led up to the compound where he, his brothers, and the other members of the pack lived. He drove away from Branlen, passing through the two-lane road that cut through the middle of a handful of buildings- mostly bars, grocery stores, and a movie theater that constituted the town center. He drove off onto a winding, unpaved path that led further up Bear Mountain. It was the opposite direction he traveled when making his call to Tessa’s, though he and the rest of the pack could easily make their way to her place by cutting through the woods rather than by car- one of the advantages of their powers.

  Atticus was a shifter. A bear shifter, to be exact, born with the power to change into a black bear at will. He didn’t know where, exactly, his powers came from, only that they had been passed on from his parents, and their parents before, and so on. After the death of his parents by poachers when he was only a teen, he was made the alpha of his pack, forced to adapt to the responsibilities of leadership at a young age. The bulk of the pack was the Swift family, him and his brothers, but many of the dozen or so men of the group were men without families, born- or cursed- with the same power of bear shifting, They had found that being a member of the Swift pack was preferable to attempting to make on their own- a wise decision, in Atticus’s opinion.

  The gravel crackled as he drove up the winding path, the sun flickering through the canopy of tall trees heavy with lush leaves. After a time, he reached a large, imposing gate made of solid steel, covered in no trespassing signs and topped with conspicuous security cameras. He pressed the control on the sun visor and the gate opened with a mechanical groan. Atticus continued driving up, putting more and more distance between him and civilization. Eventually, he reached the second security gate, which he passed through in the same fashion.

  Then, after another fifteen minutes or so of driving, the first boxy shapes of the compound became visible through the trees, the beige-colored buildings surrounded by a tall, steel fence that wrapped around the several acres of the property. As he drove closer, and more of the compound became visible until it dominated the view. Finally reaching the last gate, he put the vehicle into park, jumped out of the truck, and opened the several locks that kept the gate shut. Hopping back into the car, he drove through.

  The Swift Compound was a massive set of buildings constructed nearly ten years ago by the pack when they decided that keeping the secret of their nature was just too much work while living among civilization. The main building of the compound was a huge thing, a four-thousand-square-foot place built so solidly that it almost had the appearance of a fortress. It was where he and his brothers lived, and the handful of smaller houses scattered among the property is where the rest of the tribe took up residence. Several cars were parked here and there on the property, but Atticus didn’t spot any sign ofthe pack.

  Atticus pressed another button on the visor, the leftmost of the three doors opening and revealing a sleek, modern garage. He drove the truck into the open space and killed the engine. After getting out and ascending the staircase leading from the garage, he stepped into the massive living room.

  The main room of the compound was a tall-ceilinged space of neutral colors, simple yet expensive with well-made furniture and a large, gas-powered fireplace. The wall facing outside was entirely comprised of a huge window that looked out onto the greens and browns of nature beyond. Towards the top of the room, there was a second-floor balcony that looked out over the space, hallways entering from either side led to the rest of the first floor on one end and the dining room and kitchen on the other. The walls were decorated with simple, modern art and a subtle, musky scent wafted through the air. It was a clean and tastefully-appointed bachelor’s compound for him and his three brothers.

  The air was still and quiet, and Atticus wondered where everyone was.

  “Is that you, Atticus?” called out a deep, manly voice from the second floor, the sound carrying through the open space of the home.

  “Clyde! Where are you?” called Atticus in response.

  Clyde responded by appearing at on the second-floor balcony, his huge, muscular frame dominating the view, his typical wide smile on his face. Seeing Atticus on the first floor he turned toward the stairs and ran down, the footfalls of his enormous feet sounding through the living room. Upon reaching the first floor, he ran towards Atticus and wrapped him with his massive, beefy arms, lifting Atticus into the air.

  “Good to see you, brother!” he said.

  “You too,” said Atticus, his face muffled by Clyde’s chest. “But if you could put me down, I’d appreciate it.”

  He complied, and Atticus took a step back and looked at his brother.

  Clyde was the brawn of the group, a role that he was happy to fill. An enormous man of nearly six-and-a-half feet of height, he was loaded with muscles. His hair was cut to a buzz and his handsome features always seemed to project warmth and friendliness. Atticus’s younger brother by several years, he always thought of Clyde as a Golden Retriever- loyal and kind.

  “How was the vacation?” asked Atticus, referring to Clyde’s recent trip to the woods of the Pacific Northwest, were he spend the better part of the winter with a pack of Grizzly shifters.

  “Not much of a vacation,” he said, looking away. “Lot of work.”

  Atticus looked around the house.

  “Where’s everyone else?” he asked.

  “Out in the woods, on a pack hunt. I would be with them, but I just got back in not too long ago and, well, I didn’t really feel up to it.”

  Atticus was about to press Clyde for more details, before he did, the movement of shapes in the window beyond was visible in the corner of his eye.

  “Ah, that must be them,” said Clyde his attention drawn to the same place.

  Atticus walked towards the enormous glass wall and looked down at the cleared grounds of the compound. Sure enough, the rest of the pack was moving from the southern entrance, the precession of nude, freshly-shifted men striding through the grounds, all with the same confident gait.

  Sighing, Atticus wasn’t looking forward to the conversation he was going to have with them.

  “How’s the girl?” asked Clyde, walking to Atticus’s side.

  “You’ve heard?” asked Atticus, surprised.

  “Only a little, that you’ve been having the pack look after some woman in town.”

  “That’s right,” said Atticus.

  “Why?” asked Clyde, giving Atticus a playful jab to the arm, which Atticus found still hurt quite a bit, even despite Clyde’s playful intentions. “You have a little crush?”

  Atticus smirked and rolled his eyes, the events of the day flashing through his mind.

  “Nothing so indulgent. You remember the meth dealers who’ve been taking up residence in the woods?”

  “I do,” said Clyde. “Bringing more and more crime into the area.”

  “Exactly. Besides that, they’re putting up more and more drug labs in the woods, setting up booby traps and destroying the woods around them with their chemicals.”

  Clyde shook his head.

  “We need to rid them from this area, if you ask me.”

  “I agree,” said Atticus, his eyes still on the pack as they split up, his brothers making their way towards the h
ouse.

  “So, what does the girl have to do with all of it?” asked Clyde.

  Atticus heard the doors open on the floor below.

  “We’ll talk all of this over in a minute. For now, I need a damn beer.”

  “That does sound nice,” said Clyde.

  The pair walked through the living room and down the hall leading to the kitchen, passing the dining room on their right, a room with a long, birch table and a view onto the woods just as spectacular as the living room.

  Atticus made his way to the tall, stainless steel fridge and opened it, letting the cool air rush over his body for a moment before he withdrew a pair of Budweisers. He cracked the two caps and handed one to Clyde.

  “Thank you,” said Clyde, taking a long draw. “But you’re not going to meet with Ian and Roland?”

  “As much as I need to talk with them, I think I’ll give them a minute or two to throw on some clothes.”

  Clyde made an expression of realization. The two of them then walked out onto the large patio that overlooked the property, took a seat and sipped their beers.

  “I never get tired of this view,” said Atticus, looking out at the trees just outside of their compound, followed by the gentle, rolling curves of the hills beyond, the view building to a crescendo of faraway mountains painted with a glow of soft pinks and creamy whites from the dramatic sky of the setting sun.

  “It’s quite a place to call home,” said Clyde. “Especially after where I just came back from.”

  “Not as nice of a view?”

  “The home of the pack was more…cave-like,” he said. “And it rained every damn day.”

  “That’s the Pacific Northwest for you,” said Atticus. “It’s why I prefer our little slice of land.”

  “Agreed,” said Clyde, taking a sip of his beer.

  Before they could continue, Atticus heard his brothers enter the den. Soon after, the door to the patio opened, and turning in his seat, he was greeted with the sight of Ian and Roland, his other younger brothers.