When they woke up later that afternoon, he pulled on his clothes and busied himself making coffee from the stash he kept up in his cabin. When Zoe emerged from the bed and pulled on her own clothes, she gratefully accepted a cup of the black brew and sat at the little table warming her hands. She took a sip and smiled as he sat down across from her.
“Are you ready to tell me about Dimitri Ivanov?” Rollo said.
He needed to know that he could trust her. They had to go back to the station soon. Before he took her in, he wanted to know that they were on the same page. He needed to know everything she knew, now, so he knew what to do going forward.
His intention was to keep Zoe from serving any jail time, catch Ivanov, and put him away for good. If Zoe could connect Ivanov to the jewel heist, Rollo could arrest him while he was on Fate Mountain. He didn’t want to waste any more time.
“I guess I’m ready,” Zoe said. “Whatever happens, happens.”
“Let’s start at the beginning,” Rollo said. “When did you first meet Ivanov?”
“It was three years ago in the South of France. I was at the beach resort with some friends and he was there. We started dancing and one thing led to another. For a long time, I was just part of his entourage. That lasted for about a year. Then when he realized I was a shifter, he started asking me to do heists for him. At first it was small things, someone’s handkerchief at a party. Or someone’s wallet at a restaurant. He was grooming me.
“Then he started involving me in smuggling valuables across international borders. My shifter status gives me diplomatic immunity in many countries, and he used that to his advantage. During one of my missions, I knew I was being tailed by security. If they’d caught me, they would have found the jewels, so I dropped them in the garbage container. When security did catch up to me, they took me in for questioning. No one ever found the jewels. They must have been taken out with the trash.”
“I’m sure Ivanov didn’t like that very much.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“When did you throw away the jewels?”
“That was about a year ago. Ever since, Dima has been holding it over me. It’s like a dark cloud over my soul. He relentlessly tortures me with the reminder of how much I owe him.
“The jewels I lost were worth a million dollars. What I took from Caitlin Somerset was of the approximate value. I hoped that it would be enough to repay my debt and free me from him once and for all.
“This last year has been the worst of my life, until I came to Fate Mountain to prepare for the heist. I came to town to study how to get into Caitlin Somerset’s Louis the Fifteenth chest. Enrolling in the Bright Institute just gave me a perfect cover.
“Dima had stopped giving me money for expenses a long time ago. So I came here and waited until Caitlin brought her jewels to her Oregon estate where she keeps that chest. Dima found out about all this at an auction eight months ago. It really was a perfect cover. I never expected to find the love and friendship I found here.”
“You want to stay on Fate Mountain?”
“Of course I do.”
“And you’ve found love here?”
“Yes. I’ve found love here, silly bear.”
He looked into her eyes, wishing things could have been different.
“I’ve found love here too, darlin’. Love I want to show you with every bit of me.”
“Rollo,” she breathed.
He stood from the table and picked her up, lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist. She clung to him, pressing her lips to his mouth. She’d told him everything about Dimitri Ivanov. But more importantly, she’d told him she loved him.
In a roundabout way. But it was good enough for him. All he wanted was her. They’d figure everything else out later. He carried her across the small room and slid her over the bed, kissing her as he pulled at her clothes. Why had they put on clothes?
He yanked her shirt over her head, watching her breasts pop out in that sexy as hell pink pushup bra. He unhooked her bra and brought her breasts out, cupping the sweet softness of her fucking hot curves. He rubbed her nipples in his hands as he kissed her, his cock bulging in his pants.
He pulled his shirt over his head and unzipped his fly but got distracted by the sight of her thighs in those fucking tight skinny jeans. Rollo pulled her jeans down her legs. She sat in front of him, breathless and naked. She reached up to his waistband, tugging it open. She licked her lips, pulling out his throbbing cock, looking him in the eye.
Rollo groaned as Zoe licked up the length of his cock as she cupped his balls in her soft little hand. Her mouth sank over the head, and he caressed her face with his hands, holding himself back from pounding into the warm depths of her mouth. Zoe moved up and down over him, sucking the full length of his erection as she stroked him with her hand.
“Holy fuck, Zoe,” Rollo growled.
He pushed her away from his cock, and slid his hand between her legs. So sweet. So wet. She moaned and her eyes grew wide. Rollo knelt down in front of her, his cock aching to sink deep into her ripe pussy.
He gripped her hips and flicked his tongue up the slit between her legs. Zoe groaned and fell on her back across the bed, giving him better access to her sweet nectar. He slid his tongue deeper into her folds, sliding over her entrance and focusing on her clit.
Zoe panted and moaned in his hands. His tongue plunged into her core and pressed against her bud. She ran her hands through his hair, begging for more. He had to taste her come on his mouth. Her sweet juices flowed like rain over his tongue and he lapped up every honeyed drop. Rollo slid his fingers inside her as he focused on licking her clit.
“Oh God,” Zoe shouted, her pussy clenching on his fingers as her clit twitched under his tongue.
The taste and smell of her filled his senses. He couldn’t hold back anymore. Her sweet softness was so open and ripe for him.
“I’m going to fuck you now,” he growled, gripping her hips and moving her up over the bed.
“Yes,” she breathed.
He crawled over the bed and slid inside her in one slick motion. The tight warmth of her pussy drowned his cock in a sea of pleasure. His bear roared, barreling toward the surface of his mind. Zoe tilted back her head, her eyes wide as he thrust into her again and again. Her jaguar’s voice cried through Zoe’s pink lips, and she threaded her fingers through his cropped hair.
She felt so fucking good, he wanted to come deep inside her and fill her with his seed. He hadn’t even thought about protection and she didn’t seem to care anymore than he did. More than that, he wanted to claim her and make her his forever. But Zoe had other ideas. She bucked up under him and turned him over on his back, coming up top to ride him.
Chapter 13
“Oh, kitty likes to take charge,” Rollo growled, pressing up under her.
Zoe ran her hand down his chest, moving in slow waves over Rollo’s powerful thrusts. He was so fucking gorgeous at that moment. His tanned skin glistened with a thick sheen of sweat from holding back his lust so long. His hips thrust harder as he held her under his control.
She threw her head back, reveling in the overwhelming thrill of his cock inside her. Each thrust brushed over every pleasure point inside her core as her clit bumped his pelvis.
Rollo grabbed her ass, bouncing her on his thick rod, her breasts weightless as she rode him. Zoe looked up at the ceiling of the cabin, lost in the sensation. Feeling Rollo so near, allowing herself to let go like this. It all came together in a warm crash of pleasure. She felt the rush of climax coming as she looked down at him.
She leaned in to kiss him, feeling his soul spiraling toward her. She smelled the scent of his grizzly in the nape of his neck.
She whispered, “I love you,” and sat back up on his lap, her orgasm throbbing around his thrusting shaft.
She extended her long, sharp claws and slashed Rollo across the chest. His eyes shot wide, the gashes weeping blood. He caught her hand, knowing exactly what the wound me
ant for a cat shifter. She’d marked him. He belonged to her now. She bent down and ran her tongue across the wound, lapping up his blood.
“That hurt, little kitty,” he growled, moving out from under her.
He used his brute strength to move her body so that she was leaned over the bed with her ass in the air. Rollo ran his hands over her body, and Zoe giggled, knowing exactly what he had planned. His hand slapped down across her ass, sending a sharp sting through her flesh.
She moaned, wanting more. Her pussy longed to be filled with him again. She wanted him to take her in every way possible. She wanted him to claim her, and she knew he would do it.
“Say you’re sorry,” he said, slapping her again.
“I’m not sorry,” she groaned as his hand fell over her ass, sending pleasure through her pussy.
“Not sorry for hurting me? Why not?”
“Because, I marked you. If that’s hurting you, I want you to hurt me too.”
He growled and spanked her again. Rollo made her feel like she’d finally found someone to give her the deepest thrills of her life. At the same time, he was the one who would keep her safe and love her forever.
He rubbed his cock over her wetness and thrust inside. She groaned, gripping the bedsheets. His strong hands held her hips, thrusting deeper and harder each time. The rhythm of his hips, drove her into an endless orgasm as she felt Rollo’s pleasure building inside her. The mark she’d put on him brought him deeper, closer to her body, mind, and soul.
His hands ran over her curves, cupping her breasts as he leaned over her. He brushed her hair to the side, moving in long slow thrusts behind her. Her chest pressed against the bed, and he whispered in her ear.
“I don’t want you to ever be sorry for marking me,” he said, his breath tingling over her skin.
His sharp teeth sank deep into her neck as his seed shot deep inside her. Zoe’s body sang with a quivering release and she cried in a silent scream. The pain of his bite mingled with the pleasure of his love. And all she wanted was more. She could feel him, his heart and soul, mingling with her own. Before he’d even retracted his teeth, their mutual bond beamed between them with a powerful force.
After he pulled away and they climbed into the bed together, he held her in his arms under the warmth of the blanket. They belonged together now, and it was the only place she wanted to be. Forever.
“This is how it was meant to be,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“I wish it could stay this way forever,” Zoe said, running her finger through the curly hair on his chest.
“Me too, kitty. We can stay awhile longer.”
Zoe let out a deep sigh and relaxed into Rollo’s chest. Making love to him had been amazing. They hadn’t even used protection, and she could have gotten pregnant if not for the birth control stick in her arm.
Just as she was thinking about her birth control methods, the piercing scream of a bullet sliced through the air. Zoe and Rollo sprang to their feet and then dropped to the floor.
“It must be Ivanov,” Rollo said.
“I thought we’d have more time,” Zoe whimpered.
Rollo moved across the cabin floor, keeping low to the ground until he came to the shotgun and pistol he’d brought in from the SUV.
“So did I,” Rollo said.
“You knew he was in town?” Zoe asked.
“I saw him at the lodge, kitty,” Rollo said. Another shot rang through the cabin, slicing right above their heads. “Your ex is a piece of work.”
Zoe growled at him as he crawled over to the front window. The ancient glass already had several bullet holes through it, and Zoe thought it was about to shatter. Rollo smashed out the glass with the butt of his rifle, most of the glass falling outside. He crouched below the window, taking aim. Zoe crawled up beside him as he took a shot.
There was a sharp cry of pain in the distance.
“Got one,” Rollo said.
“Let me help,” Zoe said.
He looked down at her, the afternoon sunlight in his eyes.
“Fine,” he said, handing her the pistol.
She took aim beside him and a bullet flew over her head.
“Give us the jewels and the girl and we might let you live,” he heard a thickly accented voice say from outside.
“You’ve got some really big balls,” Rollo shouted. “But I hear you lack in other departments.”
“Rollo,” Zoe hissed.
She was terrified. This was her worst nightmare. Somehow Dima had found her and Rollo out in the middle of nowhere. Had he been tailing her the whole time or had he researched Rollo to figure out where he’d taken her?
Either way, it was terrifying to think about. She took aim at a dark figure silhouetted by the sunlight at the edge of the forest and pulled the trigger. The person screamed, but didn’t fall down. He just scampered away into the cover of the trees.
Bullets riddled the cabin as Dimitri’s henchmen sprayed them with semi-automatic gunfire. She and Rollo crawled back across the floor, taking cover behind the table.
“The walkie-talkie is in the car and there’s no cell service up here. We’ll have to make a run for the SUV.”
They hurried across the floor, crouching below the level of the window. Rollo cracked open the door and looked outside.
“They’ve shot out the tires,” he said.
“We have to get out of here. Maybe we can shift. We’re pretty fast.”
“I want to call for backup.”
Another spray of bullets ran across the yard between the door and the car.
“Let’s go out the back window,” Rollo said.
He shut the door and they hurried towards the back of the cabin. He busted out the window, and they quickly jumped outside. Within a matter of seconds, they were shifting in the warm afternoon air. Zoe sprang towards the forest first and Rollo followed behind her.
Bullets followed their every footstep until they were well under the cover of the forest. She could feel Rollo simmering inside her. He was not the kind of bear who ran away. But they were outnumbered. Probably a dozen men to just the two of them. Shifter healing ability or not, neither of them could take that kind of gunfire and survive.
The jaguar and the grizzly scurried through the underbrush, dry leaves smacking against their hides as they ran. Zoe was faster than Rollo in animal form, but she ran alongside him as they made their way through the forest.
Though she could feel his strong animal body running beside her, she could feel him within her as well. The bond between two mated shifters was stronger than anything that could be described in human language. A warm tingling flow of love cycled between their hearts as their lungs worked and their legs turned under them, driving them deeper into the forest.
Even though they were running for their lives, Zoe could feel Rollo’s contentment and joy that they were together now. All that mattered was that they had overcome their obstacles and finally marked each other. They were forever bonded now, and the joy of that knowledge radiated between them both.
Chapter 14
Rollo hung up the phone with the last of his men. He had contacted Knox, Gauge, Damien, and even Cadet Heath to gather at the police station. They were all his bears and he trusted each and every one of them to bring down Ivanov and to keep Zoe safe.
He took the stairs quickly up to his bedroom and threw on some clothes before finding something small enough to fit Zoe. All he had was a black T-shirt, a pair of unused flip-flops that were too small for him, and a pair of tights that someone at the station had bought for a Halloween costume last year.
When he brought it to her, he hesitated with what he had to tell her.
“I need you to go to the Bright Institute and stay with your brother,” he said, handing her the makeshift outfit.
“I want to help you bring down Ivanov,” she said, determination ringing in her voice.
“I need you to stay out of the way.”
“How can you say that to me a
fter everything we’ve been through?” she asked him angrily as she slipped on the frumpy clothes.
“I need you to stay safe. I know that you will be safe at your brother’s house near the Institute.”
“I need to be with you when you bring down Dima,” she said.
He placed his hand on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. He knew how badly she wanted this. She had to prove to herself that she was free of the man. And if there was any way that Rollo could give his little kitty a gun and let her loose on the man who’d hurt her, he would do it.
But she was not a warrior and wasn’t prepared to go out with his squad. Rollo and Zoe had barely escaped the cabin with their lives, and he wouldn’t risk hers again, no matter how much she wanted to do it herself.
“Don’t you think I can take care of him?” he asked.
“Rollo, you have to let me come with you.”
“I’m having Heath take you to your brother’s house, and you’re going to stay there.”
“Fine,” she said, looking away.
Being mated with her now, he could feel her agitation in his chest. He would have done anything to make it better and make it go away. He was so torn between wanting to please her and needing to protect her that he growled instead and turned away. He fisted his hips and took a deep breath.
“Heath is downstairs now,” he said.
“You disappoint me, Rollo,” she said, moving out the door. “I thought you understood me better than that.”
He turned back around, only to see the last flash of the tips of her black hair sweep out through the door. He groaned. Maybe she was right. He had no idea what Zoe would do if left to her own devices. Dammit. He should have just invited her along on the ride and kept her in a squad car. He hurried out the door of his bedroom and looked downstairs. He could see her already stepping into Heath’s car out the front window.
It was too late now. He would have to trust that she wouldn’t get herself into trouble again. Of course, it was Zoe, so it was anyone’s guess what she would do next. He cursed himself for underestimating his mate as he watched the car drive away under the golden glow of the early morning light.