Hero Bear

  "You are so fucking beautiful," he growled into her ear.

  He ran his thumb over her mouth as he looked at her and kissed her neck and caressed her breasts. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he took her higher and higher into the stratosphere. They were no longer in his little dark room. They were somewhere off in the ether, dancing on the waves of the universe. Their hearts, minds, and souls merged like their bodies.

  He nipped at her lip as he growled, his body releasing his hot seed deep into her core. The feeling of it shooting against her cervix made her come ferociously again as she clung to his damp back and held him so close. She never wanted to separate. She wished the moment could last forever as they breathed in each other's breath and the stars aligned above and below. They slowly withdrew from each other and held each other in the afterglow of their love.

  "I could definitely get used to this," she finally said some moments later.

  "I could definitely get used to having such a hot little vixen in my bed," he teased.

  She leaned up on his chest, resting her chin on his pecs as she gazed into his eyes. He smiled down at her, his hands behind his head, resting on the pillow.

  "Our lives together have just begun,” she said, "But there is still the question of who started the fire at the Fate Rock Chapel."

  He leaned down and kissed her forehead, pulling her into a warm embrace.

  "We'll figure it out, Sunshine. I have no doubt that the two of us working together could solve any problem. Nothing will stand in our way."

  They dozed together for a long time until Sunshine felt thirsty and slipped out of bed, walking into the kitchen in Harrison's oversized shirt. As she walked down the hall and passed into the kitchen, she noticed a medal in a frame in the corner built-in. She looked more closely, squinting to read the fine print.

  "Medal of Honor," it read.

  She walked back into Harrison's room and looked at him sleeping soundly in the bed. She didn't want to wake him, but she also couldn't believe he hadn't told her he had been awarded such an honor. She went back and read the plaque again. It read: "For your bravery and service to your country."

  She put the tips of her fingers to her lips as she read the words. Her Harrison truly was a hero. She continued to the kitchen and got a glass of water. She drank it down and climbed back into bed with her mate. When he felt her snuggle in beside him, he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her against his chest. They slept like that all night.

  Sunshine woke the next morning to the smell of bacon and coffee and slipped out of bed to find Harrison cooking in the kitchen in nothing but a flower print apron. He turned to her and smiled. She giggled at the sight of him.

  "I like this look," she said.

  "Oh yeah?" he said doing a sexy little dance that made the apron flop up and down in a comical, yet alluring way.

  She chuckled some more, her cheeks heating with embarrassment.

  "Let me make you a cup of coffee," he said, pouring a cup of dark brew into a white porcelain cup.

  He handed her the coffee with a box of cream and a tin of sugar while she slid onto the stool on the other side of the granite counter.

  "Breakfast is coming right up," he said.

  He slid the eggs, bacon and toast onto her plate, and sat beside her on the stool, his bare flesh resting on the orange metal seat.

  "Are you comfortable in that?" she asked, motioning to his bare behind.

  "This is the only way I want to dress whenever I'm with you." he said. "You never know when I'll need to ravish you in the middle of the day." He grabbed her and kissed her.

  She pushed away with a giggle. Her mouth still full of bacon. She washed it down with a sip of coffee.

  "You're incorrigible," she said.

  "You make me feel alive."

  "I feel that way too, Harrison. That reminds me, I wanted to ask you about something I saw in your hall last night.”

  "Oh yeah? What is that?" He popped a piece of bacon into his mouth.

  "The Medal of Honor you were awarded?" she asked tentatively. "You never told me about that."

  "Yeah, it's no big deal."

  "A Presidential Medal of Honor is no big deal?" she asked.

  "I don't like to get a big head about these kinds of things. I just consider it my duty to help people. That's it. I don't consider myself a big hero or anything."

  "That's what people who are real heroes always say," she said with a laugh, taking another sip of coffee. "What happened? What made the president give you the medal?"

  "I was in a hostile area in the Middle East. I helped save my entire platoon, and about five hundred civilians in a hospital."

  "Wow," she said, her eyes growing wide.

  "Anybody would've done the same. I was the only shifter around. My reflexes are faster, and my senses are keener. Honestly, I don't think I really deserved that medal. It was just my duty. I signed up to serve. Not to win awards."

  Sunshine could tell that it was making him uncomfortable to talk about. So, she put it to rest. She could sense his intense sense of duty was what kept him from wanting to find a mate all along. Harrison lived to serve and protect. She sensed that he’d felt, deep down, that finding a mate was selfish in comparison. But she knew he didn’t feel that way anymore.

  "After we finished breakfast I should get you back to the resort. I have a shift at work today and then we can meet up later and question our last suspect."

  Chapter 14

  Sunshine rode with Harrison back to the resort. He kissed her before she slid out of the truck and walked up to her room. It had been a long couple of days, and she was ready for a nice soak in the tub and a long nap.

  She kicked off her shoes and turned the water on in the bathtub. Once the tub was filled, she sank into the fragrant bubble bath and let out a long sigh of contentment. She pulled out her waterproof Kindle and started to read a sexy romantic mystery she’d put down since she’d come to Fate Valley and met Harrison. Although nothing could compare with her love of her mate, the stories always brought a smile to her lips and a thrill to her heart.

  After a long, hot soak, she climbed out of the tub and pulled on one of the fluffy white bathrobes provided by the resort and called down to the kitchen for a light lunch. Room service arrived twenty minutes later with her sandwich and fruit cup. She ate in her sweat suit on the couch in front of the TV with her laptop perched on her knee.

  When she was done eating, she did some work she'd been putting off since she'd arrived, putting the finishing touches on a project that was due the next day. All of that done, she sent off the project to her client, closed the blackout curtains in the bedroom, and climbed under the fluffy warm comforter to take a long afternoon nap.

  When she woke, it was evening. The first thing she thought of was seeing Harrison again. She dressed in a warm sweater, skinny jeans and boots, and waited for him to arrive for their casual dinner date.

  He called her from the lobby soon after she was finished dressing, and she took the elevator down to meet him. When she saw him standing there, it was like fireworks exploded in her heart. She trotted over to him and reached up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

  "I missed you," she said.

  "I missed you too, babe," he said.

  They agreed earlier they were in the mood for café style food tonight. At the end of the buffet line, they grabbed their plates. The buffet was filled with all kinds of delicious things. Pork ribs, flaky biscuits, corn on the cob.

  They piled their plates high and took a seat near the window overlooking the lake. Sunshine dug into the ribs, getting rib sauce all over her fingers and face as she ate. She licked her fingers as she finished her meal, feeling fairly unladylike, but Harrison didn't seem to mind. His eyes glowed with adoration as he gazed at her, and she could feel the warm bond of connection in her heart and deep in her soul.

  When they’d finished their meal, and washed their hands of barbecue sauce, Sunshine spotted Kirk's mother sit
ting at the table with her over-tanned girlfriend.

  "Come on," Sunshine said, waving to Harrison to follow.

  "Hello, Mrs. Handy. Could we ask you a few questions?" Sunshine said.

  "We’re eating our dinner," Kirk's mother snapped.

  "It’ll only take a minute. We wanted to ask you about the fire at the chapel," Harrison said.

  "I don't know anything about the fire,” Mrs. Handy said. "But whoever started it has my approval. I never wanted that wedding to happen in the first place."

  Sunshine and Harrison sat down at the table and the mother's friend let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

  "You're very angry for someone whose son just married the love of his life. It seems like you might have had a motive for wanting the wedding stopped,” Harrison said.

  "What are you insinuating?"

  "All I'm saying is that you have a motive," Harrison said, leaning back in his chair.

  "You couldn't possibly think that I started that fire, could you?" she asked, incensed.

  "It's not beyond the scope of imagination," Sunshine said.

  "You're both demented. You’re shifters, aren't you? I should have known that shifters would suspect me, an upstanding member of society, of starting a fire at one of Fate Valley's most treasured historic monuments. To think? The nerve," she said.

  "So, you're denying any involvement in the fire?" Sunshine said. "You just said you commended whoever started it, but now you’re saying that you would never start a fire in a historic landmark."

  "The two things have nothing to do with each other."

  "Why do you hate shifters so much?" Sunshine asked.

  "Because you’re dirty, filthy animals. That's why," she snapped. "And you're taking over all of our jobs. The government gives you extra money in the military. It's not fair to humans."

  "You realize shifters get put on the front lines instead of humans, right?" Harrison said. "It's hazard pay."

  "That's beside the point," Mrs. Handy said.

  Sunshine and Harrison just looked at each other and shrugged. They stood from the table and walked away.

  "I didn’t believe people like that still existed, but…," Sunshine said.

  "It's best not to think about it," Harrison said. “Most humans are really nice. People like her are few and far between. We just have to forgive them their ignorance."

  "I know. But sometimes it's hard."

  They put on their jackets and walked out onto the patio looking at the moonlight as it sparkled on the frosty waters of the Lake of the Fates.

  "I think someday that everybody is going to get along despite their differences,” said Sunshine.

  "I think so too," said Harrison. “We just have to have faith in goodness and love."

  "Yeah, you’re right," said Sunshine.

  Harrison leaned in and kissed her on the lips, holding her tight in his strong, warm arms.

  Chapter 15

  After a blissful night together in Sunshine's hotel room, Harrison and Sunshine walked down to the buffet together and had a leisurely breakfast. He had never felt happier in his life and every day and every night he spent with Sunshine just got better and better. After they were done with their breakfast, he asked her if she wanted to check on her friend Melody at the Fate Rock Cabin.

  "That sounds like a fantastic idea," she said. "Let me just call her first."

  Sunshine pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Melody's number.

  "Sunshine," Melody said over the speaker phone. "I'm so happy to hear from you."

  "We were wondering if we could stop by for a visit," Sunshine said.

  "Oh, that sounds fantastic when were you going to come over?"

  "In a few minutes," she said.

  "We look forward to seeing you."

  Harrison drove Sunshine across town and up the hill to Fate Rock where the chapel was being renovated and restored. They drove down the road to the forest where the Fate Rock Cabin was tucked under the massive boughs of a dogwood grove, overlooking the Lake of the Fates.

  They climbed out of the truck, and he held her hand along the frosty pathway to the front door of the historic cabin. They knocked, and Kirk pulled the door open with a big smile on his face.

  "Come on in," he said.

  Melody came running up to Sunshine and hugged her tight. Squealing with delight.

  "I'm so glad to see you," Melody said.

  "It looks like married life suits you," Sunshine said.

  “It certainly does," Melody said, gazing up at her husband.

  "We were just setting out some pecan pie for brunch," Kirk said.

  They walked through the renovated cabin with the two-story high ceiling of hand hewn birch and the modern furnishings into a nook that overlooked the lake. A pecan pie sat at the center of the table, already sliced with a pot of coffee ready to be poured. Everyone slid into the benches. Melody served the pie and poured coffee. Harrison took a delicious bite.

  "Where did you get this?" he asked.

  “We ordered it from the Fate Valley Café and Bakery," Melody said. "Baker Bear brought it up himself, just a few minutes ago."

  "His treats are delicious."

  "I love the pies from the bakery."

  "I love the muffins."

  "Do I smell something different about you Kirk?" Harrison asked.

  "You do," Kirk admitted. "I am now a freshly changed shifter. Joining the ranks of the many shifters in Fate Valley."

  "His mother is not going to be happy about it. But it's what we both wanted so we decided to do it,” Melody said.

  They looked at each other and Melody put her hand on Kirk's bicep, and he covered her hand with his in a loving and affectionate gesture.

  "Our bond is deep and strong," Melody said. "Nothing can break us apart. But I do wish his mother accepted us."

  "I'm sure she'll come around eventually," Sunshine said hopefully.

  "Even if she doesn't," Kirk said. "We have each other and that's what matters. My father has been supportive of our relationship, but he and mom divorced a long time ago. I can't say that I blame him. She has a terrible attitude. My sister Meredith and I can’t stand it."

  "We talked to your mother last night," Sunshine said. "We've been trying to find out who set the fire."

  "Oh?" Melody asked. "Have you made any leeway. The police don't seem to have an answer."

  "We've questioned our suspects, but they all seem equally guilty."

  "Who is on your list?" Kirk asked.

  "A disgruntled groundskeeper who was fired the morning of the wedding," Sunshine started.

  "I heard that ruckus," Melody said. "Do you really think he’d do such a thing?"

  "It's possible," Sunshine said.

  "Our other suspect is a man named Ted Baily, who was convicted of arson in his youth. We asked him about it. He has an alibi, but not a very strong one."

  "Our other two suspects are Kirk's ex-girlfriend Amy who works at the café and his mom." Kirk's face dropped. "I hate to say it, but your mom’s still on the list."

  "Oh no, I get it. She would have done anything to stop us from being married. So, would my ex-girlfriend, Amy. She's absolutely obsessed. In fact, she and my mother were talking just a few months ago about how to get me away from Melody to rekindle the romance. I told them both they were crazy, but I suspected they were plotting.”

  "Do you think they were in it together?" Sunshine asked.

  "I can't believe that either of them would do something like that."

  Harrison ate another piece of pie. He enjoyed their conversation, but unfortunately, it didn't shed any light on the situation. After pie, he and Sunshine said their goodbyes and walked out the door of the cabin. As they were strolling down the path, Harrison's shifter senses picked up a familiar smell.

  "Do you smell that?" he asked Sunshine.

  "Smell what?” she asked.

  "It smells like gasoline?" he said.

  "It could be from the reconstructi
on at the chapel."

  "Why would they use gasoline at the chapel?"

  "I don’t know. I’m a web designer, not a carpenter,” she said.

  He took her hand and said, "Come on," pulling her around the back of the cabin through the thick deciduous forest.

  He saw a dark figure carrying a red gas can and his eyes popped wide. The rage building inside him burst forth. He shifted instantly, tearing through his clothes. Just as the ski-mask clad figure was lighting a match, he charged, knocking them over just before the match could light the gasoline. The arsonist shrieked as Harrison batted it down and held the person against the ground with his big paws. Sunshine screamed behind him and sprinted to their location. She pulled the figure’s mask off and blonde hair tumbled out from underneath.

  It was Kirk’s ex-girlfriend Amy. Sunshine covered her mouth and gasped with surprise.

  "Why did you do it?" Sunshine demanded.

  "Kirk belongs with me. If I can’t have him, no one can! His mother agrees with me. He shouldn't be with that shifter girl. Humans belong together."

  "Well, Kirk's a shifter now, so you can get that out of your head.”

  "He's what?" she screamed as she struggled against Harrison's paw.

  "He's a shifter. His mate changed him, just the other night. Now they're going to live happily ever after. And you're going to jail," Sunshine pulled her phone out of her pocket and began dialing the police.

  "What are you doing?" Amy demanded, still held on the ground by the paw of her heroic mate.

  "I'm calling the police, so they can come take you away."

  "You can’t do this. This is justice. Don’t you understand? It’s justice," she wailed. "Kirk belongs with me. And nobody else. His mother agrees.”

  "Did Mrs. Handy know that you were doing this?" Sunshine asked.

  "She didn't know anything about it. But she agreed that he shouldn't be with a shifter."

  "You acted on your own?" Sunshine said.