Hero Bear

  Melody and Kirk rose from the table and walked hand in hand to where the five-tiered wedding cake graced a white clothed table. They held hands and cut the first piece. Scooping slices onto two plates, they gracefully fed each other the small pieces. No smashing each other in the face with the cake. It was a relief to Sunshine who hated to see good cake go to waste.

  As Sunshine helped serve the wedding cake, she noticed Kirk’s eyes grow dark and his eyebrows narrow. "What is Amy doing here,” he growled in a low voice to Melody.

  Sunshine looked across the room and saw a woman carting a large, stainless steel coffee dispenser into the reception hall.

  "I can't believe this," Melody said, shaking her head.

  "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll deal with it," he said, sliding away from Melody’s side and walking across the room to confront the woman with the coffee dispenser.

  "What's that all about?" Melody asked.

  "That's Kirk’s ex, Amy," she said. "She's positively obsessed with him."

  Sunshine watched as Kirk confronted the overly skinny young woman with dyed blond hair and puffy pink lips. The woman reached out and ran her hand down Kirk's chest. Melody dropped the knife and it clanged on the floor. Sunshine had to hold Melody back from walking across the room to confront the girl.

  "I'm going to punch her in the face," Melody said, growling like the mountain lioness she was.

  "Settle down, tiger," she said. "It's your wedding day. You don't want to ruin your manicure."

  "I'll ruin more than my nails if that woman takes liberties with my man again," Melody snarled.

  "It's fine," Sunshine said. "Look, she's leaving."

  Kirk was red-faced and flustered as he walked back to Melody’s side and took his place in front of the wedding cake.

  "She said she was here to deliver coffee," he said.

  "I'm so sorry, Kirk," said the wedding planner. "We ordered coffee from Fate Valley Café and Bakery hours ago. We didn't know that your ex-girlfriend would bring it up.”

  "It's fine," Kirk said. "Let's just forget about it."

  Chapter 6

  All of the men at the wedding lined up as Kirk lifted Melody’s skirt and pulled down her garter. He threw it over his shoulder into the crowd of men and one of the groomsmen reached above the rest and caught it. After the garter was thrown, the ladies gathered together in a group, squealing and clapping as Melody turned and threw her bouquet over her shoulder.

  Sunshine stood at the front of the group, not paying attention, when the bouquet dropped right into her hands. Everyone shrieked and clapped when she caught it. She was shocked when she found the bouquet of white roses and evergreen sprigs in her hands.

  "You didn't need to catch the bouquet, though, did you?" said Stephanie with a laugh. “You already found your mate on Mate.com."

  “I did," she said, hugging the bouquet to her chest and inhaling the fragrant scent.

  After the gifts were open, and everyone kissed and hugged, Melody and Kirk went off to start their honeymoon in the luxuriously refurbished, historic Fate Rock cabin—a traditional honeymoon spot among the shifters in Fate Valley.

  Sunshine took a shuttle with the rest of the wedding party back down to Fate Valley Resort and made her way to her room. After sliding out of her bridesmaid dress and pumps, she washed the makeup from her face and slid into her fluffy flannel pajamas. She was exhausted from the day's events, but it was a good kind of exhausted. She was so happy for Melody, and tingling all over from meeting Harrison, she fell right asleep and dreamed of their first date.

  The next morning, she rose early, took a shower and dressed in warm slacks, a long-sleeved shirt and a fleece pullover. She made her way down to the breakfast buffet in the resort café and walked down the line, scooping scrambled eggs, bacon and fresh fruit onto her plate. She grabbed a cup of coffee and took a seat near the window overlooking the water.

  Sunshine’s phone buzzed and a message from Mate.com lit up her screen. She read Harrison's text with a deep, strange sense of longing in her heart. She wanted to accept him with no questions. Her bear growled inside her mind, scratching and clawing behind her eyes.

  "I know, I know," Sunshine said to her inner bear.

  Harrison's text read, "I need to see you."

  She pressed reply and began to type. "I want to see you too," she said, and pressed send before she could think too much about it. She growled at herself and rolled her eyes before she dialed her mother's phone number.

  "How was the wedding?" Juliet's voice came through the line on the second ring.

  "It was beautiful. Melody and Kirk are so happy together."

  "I could barely believe it when I heard Melody was matched with a human. It’s so rare."

  "I know, but that's not the reason I called."

  "Oh? What is it, dear?"

  "Well… The girls prodded me into joining Mate.com during the bachelorette party the other night and now…"

  "You found your fated mate!"

  "I did. And he lives and works in Fate Valley."

  "Oh," Juliet said, her voice growing distant. "What really matters is that you found your fated one. I'm so happy for you. My daughter has found her fated mate at a wedding! It's so romantic. It's like when your father and I met. It was the happiest moment of my life."

  "I know, mom. I've heard the story."

  "So, you just found out yesterday? When is your first date?"

  "Well, I wanted to talk to you first. I feel reluctant to get involved since he lives here and everyone I know and love is back on Fate Mountain."

  "Nonsense," Juliet said. "You and he belong together. Your job can take you anywhere. You don't need to stay on Fate Mountain."

  "But I'll miss you," she said. "And you guys need me."

  "We'll miss you so much, dear, but we'll get by without you at home, I'm sure. We can always come to visit. I hear Fate Valley is beautiful. I've always wanted to go there."

  "Really?" Sunshine said.

  "Absolutely. It's one of the best shifter towns in the entire country. I hear the Shifter Community Association is parallel to none. They don't just have clans there. They have an integrated shifter community. It's very special."

  "That's what I’ve heard."

  "And very innovative. Your father and I have been talking about it since we found out Melody was getting married there."

  "I see. Well, I've got to get going now, mom. It was good talking to you and I appreciate the advice."

  "Don't you worry about your old mom and dad. You go get your guy, you hear me?"

  "I hear you, Mom."

  She hung up the phone, feeling much more confident. She checked her text messages and saw that Harrison had already texted her back.

  "Can I take you out to dinner tonight at six?”

  "Yes.”

  Sunshine spent the rest of the day at the Fate Valley Resort Spa getting a massage and facial. She also got a manicure and a pedicure in a cheery red that she thought was perfect for the season. There were only a few more weeks until Christmas and the holiday festivities were ramping up all over the place. As she sat in the manicurist chair she listened to the girls gossiping about the fire the night before.

  "I'm sure it was that Ted Baily," one of them said. "You know he's an arsonist, right?"

  "I've known that for simply ages. I don't know why they let him live here."

  "Some people think once you’ve paid your debt to society that all of your guilt is magically taken away. But I don't believe that," said the other. “He and his hoodlum friends set a terrible fire in historic Union Station in Kansas City. Simply dreadful.”

  "Where was Ted Baily the day of the fire?" Sunshine asked.

  "Well, Lord if I know?" one of them said. "But if you ask me, it’s case closed. Who else would do such a thing?

  "Who else indeed," Sunshine said. "Who else indeed."

  Chapter 7

  Harrison dressed in his best clothes for the date that night. But he couldn’t
stop thinking about who had set the fire at the wedding as he got ready. When he was done, he went out to his truck and drove across town to Fate Valley Resort. To meet Sunshine.

  Just her name brought a smile to his lips and a song to his heart. He walked through the lobby with a bouquet of red roses and rode the elevator to her floor. He took a deep breath before knocking on her door. His knuckles rapped on the wood. A second later, the door swung open.

  She’d dressed in a sweater dress with tights and knee-high boots. Her hair hung in ringlets down her back and she wore soft makeup with bright eyes and pale lips. His heart nearly stopped when he saw her beautiful curves in the form-fitting dress. He had to stop his growling inner bear before he made a fool of himself. Harrison took a step back as his eyes widened and she reached out to touch him.

  "Are you okay?" she asked.

  "I'm better than I've ever been," he said. “You look so beautiful it took me off guard."

  "Were you expecting something else?" she asked.

  "Not at all. You are just as beautiful as when I met you yesterday. But now I get to take you out to dinner.”

  He smiled and offered her the roses. She took them into her room, placing them in the vase on the table in her suite. When she was done, she took his arm, and they rode the elevator to the main floor.

  "I have a reservation in the restaurant," he said.

  "I haven't been to the five-star restaurant yet.”

  "Then I hope this is a treat for you," he said as they stopped at the hostess station.

  He gave her his name and she pulled two menus out of the rack and escorted them to their table. It was a table for two with a candle lit at the center with a view overlooking the lake.

  "It's so lovely here on the lake," she said. “With the hills coming down into Fate Valley.”

  She looked down at the menu at all the delicacies and had a hard time deciding what she wanted.

  “I think I'll have the surf and turf," he said.

  "I’ll have the same thing.”

  The waiter returned and they ordered their meals and a bottle of wine. The waiter brought their wine, pouring a glass for each of them. Sunshine lifted hers and took a long sip, gazing over the candle light into his eyes.

  "I spoke with my mother today," she said hesitantly.

  "Oh?" he asked, wondering what she meant by that.

  "The idea of leaving my parents and my clan is really hard," she admitted. "But after speaking with my mother, I feel a lot more confident about it."

  "I'm not asking you to make any split-second decisions," he said.

  "Well, we’re shifters. We both understand what it means to be fated."

  "Even still, it doesn't mean that I’m asking you to give up anything for me. Is there a fire department on Fate Mountain?”

  “It’s voluntary.”

  He could tell that this was really bothering her. Of course it would be hard to leave her family and her clan to move all the way across the country for a man she’d just met. Even if they were both shifters, and had the instinct to mate with their fated one, her loyalty to her family and her clan were just as strong. Knowing how she felt made him even more attracted to her.

  The waiter returned with their food and they both dug into the steak and lobster they'd ordered. It was all delicious and cooked to perfection. The taste of butter and garlic and steak sauce lingered on his lips as he dabbed them with a cloth napkin.

  "Can I interest you in dessert?" the waiter asked.

  "I would love a hot fudge sundae," Harrison said.

  "I’ll have the same," Sunshine said.

  "The hot fudge sundaes at Fate Mountain Resort are legendary," he said. “The fudge comes from Fate Valley Confections.”

  "I can't wait," she said.

  The waiter set their sundaes on the table a few moments later, and they dipped their spoons into the ice cream covered in hot fudge. The flavor exploded on his tongue. Sunshine giggled sensually across the table before taking another sip of wine.

  "You’re right," she said. “This is really good."

  After dessert, Harrison payed for their meal and escorted Sunshine out onto the balcony. They took a walk through the snow-covered grounds along the freshly cleared paths. Christmas lights sparkled under a blanket of sparkling stars in the heavens above. They strolled slowly to the shore of the lake and onto a long dock that stretched out over the dark, cold waters.

  Holding hands against the cold, they reached the end of the dock. Harrison turned to Sunshine in the moonlight and gazed into her beautiful eyes. He cupped her face in his hand and ran his thumb along her cheekbone. She really was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen.

  His bear growled with all its might to claim his little grizzly. He took a deep breath and let it out, bending as if in slow motion toward her lips. Sunshine took a deep breath through her teeth as his lips brushed hers. She moaned softly as he pressed harder against her mouth. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him tight. His arms enfolded her waist. The feeling of her, the weight of her, the curves of her body, it excited a frenetic rumbling deep in his chest and in the mind of his grizzly. His inner animal ached desperately to claim his fated one.

  His tongue slid between her lips. The taste of her mingled with the taste of fudge and wine. It was a heady concoction that blended with the scent of her skin. His bear was frantic, and his kisses deepened. He needed to have her closer, deeper, and definitely more naked. He cupped the back of her head and tilted her face, angling her head to take his kiss.

  She pulled back breathless, staring up into his eyes. He wanted to ask her to go inside with him, but he couldn't speak the words.

  "Do you want to come up to my room?" she asked.

  "Are you offering?" he hesitated.

  “Uh huh," she said, shaking her head yes and biting her lip.

  "Let's go then," he said.

  Chapter 8

  Sunshine escorted Harrison upstairs to her suite, her heart hammering in her ears and her mind going a million miles a minute. Sure, she’d had boyfriends before. She was twenty-five years old and the progressive daughter of a modern woman. But she had never gone home with anyone on a first date. More importantly, she certainly had never been with her fated one.

  "You're nervous," Harrison said at a whisper, gathering her in his arms before the elevator doors swung open.

  "A little bit," she admitted.

  "We don't have to do anything. We can just talk."

  "We'll see what happens," she said, taking his hand and leading him down the hall to her room.

  She slid her key card through the lock and the door buzzed open. Inside, the fragrant scent of the roses he’d brought her filled the air. She felt woozy and lightheaded from kissing. Sunshine smiled awkwardly and walked to the window that looked out on the lake. The grounds were dotted with sparkling Christmas lights, wrapped around the trees. The moon hung low in the sky, full and bright, as it reflected in the black waters of the Lake of the Fates.

  He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning in to kiss her cheek. They had just met a day ago, but she felt so much for him. An unfathomably deep bond. If they were human, this would have been impulsive and possibly inappropriate. But between two shifters, it just felt right. Her inner grizzly growled for more.

  Sunshine leaned her head back against his chest as she sucked a breath through her lips and let out a soft moan. The feeling of his hands on her body, and his lips on her skin, lit a fire in her soul. It burned bright in her belly and raged in her heart, burning hotter than the fire that had scorched the cathedral.

  He turned her around and cupped her cheeks in his hands, tilting her face up toward him. He claimed her mouth and she hugged herself to him, feeling the hard muscles of his body against hers. She could feel his manhood rise hard and solid against her stomach. She groaned as his tongue slid over hers.

  Their lips and tongues and mouths danced a tango of desire that made the fire inside her r
age like a volcano ready to erupt. He reached down and picked her up in his strong-muscled arms. Sunshine gasped as he carried her across the room and laid her on the wide king-size bed.

  Harrison growled as he pulled his shirt off and stalked over her, looking deep into her eyes the whole time. His hands slid up her thigh taking the sweater dress she wore with them. He pulled her dress off and she was in nothing but her underwear and boots. Harrison sank between her legs, his shirtless chest gleaming in the low lamplight beside the bed. She ran her hands over the planes of his chest, so perfect and gorgeous.

  Sunshine licked his chest and nibbled on his erect nipple. He sucked a breath through his teeth and claimed her mouth, kissing her hungrily as he rocked against her. She groaned and reached for his belt, unbuckling it awkwardly as he kissed her. Harrison growled and drew back, pulling off his belt for her.

  He pulled off her boots one after the other and then stepped out of his pants and shoes in several swift motions. A moment later he was in nothing but his black boxer-briefs crawling over the bed to claim her again. The outline of his manhood pressed hard against the fabric of his underwear. When he pressed between her legs, she gushed with a hot, liquid desire from the very core of her being.

  He pulled her up and unfastened her bra, drawing the lacy white fabric away from her curves. His eyes lit with desire as he gazed down at her body. He growled and claimed her tawny rosebud nipple in his mouth, sucking and nibbling at one as he fondled the other.

  Sunshine arched her back, her hair falling over the white pillowcase as Harrison ravished her breasts. His growling noises were indistinguishable from a bear. The sound made the grizzly inside her roar with recognition and need. He kissed down her body, focusing on her round stomach with his full lips and delicious tongue.

  Harrison slipped his fingers into the hem of her panties and tugged down, flinging them across the room. He spread her legs wide as he stared at her core.

  "Your pussy is gorgeous," he said, leaning in to lick up the slit and press his tongue against her clit. "I'm going to devour you."