Baddest Bear Dad: A Fated Mate Romance Read online

Elle nodded, the motion jerky and unsteady. She tried to swallow, but the lump in her throat stopped her. “I’m fine,” she squeaked as he took another calm, confident step toward her. “Just fine.”

  “That’s good.”

  Step.

  He was an arm’s length away now, standing perfectly still as he looked down at her. The light in the hall washed over half of his face. Elle trembled, rooted in place as he reached up with one arm and gently stroked her face.

  “You are very pretty,” he remarked.

  “T-Thank you,” she stammered, barely able to get the words out. Her fingers were shaking hard now as blood coursed through her system, powered by the frantic beating of her heart.

  Braden brushed the tips of his fingers across her cheek, and then through her hair, sending a shiver of delight down her spine. Elle felt the tips of her breasts harden and her entire body flushed at his touch, preparing itself for what she suspected was to come.

  “I’m going to kiss you now,” he said, his voice little more than a growl.

  “Okay,” she all but gasped, the word barely out of her mouth before he covered it with his own.

  Elle moaned immediately as he bent down, picking her off the ground with his free hand and holding her tight to his body at a more convenient height. His touch was like a hot shower, scalding her as it moved across her body, making her skin tingle where it had been. Oh God, she wanted it everywhere, to have him touch every inch of her body. She needed it, craved it desperately.

  Slowly, with her still in his grasp and their lips locked, Braden backed them out of the room, pulling the door until it was almost shut behind them. Then he moved down the hallway, fumbling at light switches as they went.

  “You’re so hot,” she whispered, meaning it literally and in regard to his looks.

  Braden felt to her like he was burning. His skin was practically on fire. Much more and she wouldn’t be able to touch him it was so intense. Yet everywhere there was skin on skin she felt wonderful. In fact, Elle suddenly realized she wanted more. Much, much more.

  With a scrambling, uncoordinated effort, she managed to lift his plain white shirt over his head, careful not to touch his face. To her horror his entire body was covered in yellowish bruises.

  “Oh my God. Are you okay? Is this all from earlier?”

  “Yes,” he rumbled distractedly. “They’ll be gone in another few hours. Just takes time.”

  “Are you sure? This looks horrific.” Her earlier trepidation at what was about to happen had disappeared as she ran two fingers lightly across the various welts and impact marks. “I thought you won?”

  He chuckled, the sound like stones running down the side of a mountain. “I did. You should see the other guy. Now, if you don’t mind?”

  She shook her head and he went back to doing a most wonderful job of kissing her. But he started down near her collarbone, kissing along that, his lips tracing a blissful line up her neck and over her jaw until he found her mouth once more. Braden bit down on her lower lip gently and she gasped, but more out of surprise than pain.

  They sat on the couch. Well, he sat down, she straddled him and lifted her arms high as he stripped her. A moment later she was on her back and her pants were sliding off, leaving her clad only in her thong. She didn’t normally wear black lace, but when he’d said he was coming over she’d changed. Just in case. Now she was glad for it.

  Braden made noises of appreciation while running both hands up and down her sides in slow strokes, fully awakening her body to his presence. She was aware of where things were headed, and now, in a state of near complete undress, Elle had one last chance to stop it if she wasn’t ready. But she was.

  Wasn’t she?

  A flicker of doubt entered her brain, and she turned it over and around, trying to understand why it was there. Things were happening quickly, yes, but there was no denying that she wanted him. Or, based on what she could feel through his pants with her hips, no denying that he wanted her. The physical attraction was there on both sides. He was hot. She was an adult, a mother even. She could make these decisions on her own. This wasn’t just the call of hormones. There was a connection between them. Something strong and unspoken, that neither were willing to confront. Yet.

  But sex? Oh yes, she was ready for that. Very ready. It had been a long, long time since she’d been well and truly turned on. Aroused, sure. But now—she gasped as he dragged his fingertips down her spine, pulling her close so that his mouth could close around the tips of her breasts—now she was horny. It sounded vulgar and unladylike, but fuck it. She was horny and wanted him, and what he had between his legs.

  “Braden Fields,” she said in her best command tone. “If you don’t take those clothes off right now, I am going to…to…”

  “Do it yourself?” he suggested lightly, a brief moment of humor interrupting their heavy breathing and hooded eyes.

  “Shit. Get up,” she ordered, sliding off of him with a smile.

  He rose effortlessly, turning as he went so that his cock, covered as it was by two layers of pesky clothing, was right in front of her face. Elle ran her fingers down across his chest, feeling the ripple and bump of every muscles as it slid by underneath, reveling in his fitness, and what it meant for the next little bit. A wicked grin split her face as she looked up at him through her eyelashes, biting her lip at the same moment her palms slipped over his belt and across the hard bulge between his legs.

  Braden hissed and she delighted in the way his pupils rolled back and he half-closed his eyes. A man who was confident enough to show his pleasure, to let her know that he enjoyed it…now that was hot. Slowly, drawing out the moment and making him wait as long as possible, she undid his belt, making sure she threaded it completely out of the belt loops and setting it aside. Then she flipped open the button and with excruciating deliberation pulled his zipper down.

  Black silk-like material greeted her eyes as his pants fell to the ground. The compression boxers were smooth and tight to his skin, showing the outline of his erection in mouthwatering detail. Elle used the tip of her index finger to stroke it down the middle, gently gliding it over his head while she looked up, watching Braden’s face throughout.

  “Fuck…I want you to touch it,” he said, all but panting. “I want your hand wrapped firmly around it.”

  “Like this?” she asked innocently, pushing her hand through the opening and finding his shaft, gripping it with her fingers.

  “Mm-hmm,” he gasped with a shaky nod. “Just like that.”

  Elle thought about teasing him some more, but her own drive took over, demanding that she keep moving. She quickly removed his boxers, leaning back for a minute to admire his physique before getting to work on him. Her mouth was practically watering as she sucked the head into her mouth, running her tongue alongside the bottom of it.

  Braden’s growl could have woken the baby it was so loud, but thankfully Gwenevere seemed to sleep right through it. Now was not the time for an interruption.

  “Shhh,” she said. “If you wake Gwen, we’re done for now.”

  The noise died out so quickly she couldn’t help but grin. Amazing and unique Braden may have been, but right then and there, he was definitely all male, and not willing to do anything that might jeopardize sex.

  She worked him into her mouth bit by bit, letting the foreplay build her body up, preparing her to take him inside. He was large, both long and fairly thick. It was going to be interesting. Fun, but interesting.

  “Okay,” he hissed suddenly, yanking his hips back with a sudden shudder. “Okay, you’re good at that, I get it. But I can’t take any more. Not if you want this to continue.”

  Elle giggled, blushing at the compliment to her skills. “Well, we certainly don’t want to end this prematurely, now do we?”

  “Not at all,” he growled, pushing her back up onto the couch and sinking to the ground between her legs.

  Whatever she was going to say, the words fled her as he gently kissed the
inside of her thighs. Hot breath washed over her skin, making her shiver in anticipation as he worked his way up between her legs. She’d heard stories from her friends, about their mates’ prowess in bed, but figured that perhaps they’d just gotten lucky.

  Now she had to wonder if maybe shifters were just born with an instinctive ability to please a woman. After all, the way he was—

  Her thoughts cut off sharply as his tongue flicked out and over her, having finally made his way to the apex of her legs.

  “Oh. Oh fuck,” she moaned as he tenderly set to work, his touch soft, slow, and moving in rhythmic circles that had her hips rolling toward him in no time.

  It didn’t take long for her vision to grow dim, her breasts rising into the air as she arched her back, gripping the couch tightly above her head as she rocked back and forth. Braden was a master at paying attention, shifting his pressure and speed in time with her moans, slowing down or speeding up before she even had to say anything. It was like he was inside her head, able to know what it was she wanted, what she needed.

  “Right there,” she gasped through clenched teeth and eyelids. “Don’t stop.”

  Once again he demonstrated that he was unlike most men. Braden didn’t speed up, didn’t slow down, change pressure, or even the location of his head. He simply kept doing what he was, letting her make any necessary changes. She arched her hips just a little more, and a split second later the world went white.

  Elle’s body went into lockdown as it was pummeled with wave after wave of intense sensations, pleasure so incredible her brain could barely register it. She clamped both hands over her mouth seconds before her moans became cries, unable to keep herself quiet as she climaxed.

  Braden continued to please her until she slumped down into a weakened ball, curling up onto her side, trying to regain the breath she’d lost. Her body had gone totally non-responsive through her orgasm, overwhelmed by the ecstasy that he’d inflicted upon her.

  “No, no,” she said, gently pushing his head back. “I’m good.” The last two words came out as a gasp as she ran out of air.

  The gargantuan shifter rose from the floor, scooping her up into his arms as he went and then turning around so that he could sit on the couch with her curled up on top of him. Elle didn’t fight it. Instead she laid her head on his chest and enjoyed the intimacy of the moment.

  Sex was intimate, but it was so fraught with action and movement and so many things going on, that it wasn’t a moment. But there, encased tightly in his arms, her head on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart while he kissed her forehead, Elle could feel herself becoming closer to him, sharing something that was beyond the physical act of sex.

  It was a moment of vulnerability is what it was, as weird as it sounded. Braden never spoke, never did anything more than hold her to him and brush his lips against her skin where he could reach it. If it weren’t for the burning desire between her legs, she could have fallen asleep right then and there, feeling utterly content and perfectly safe within his grasp.

  “Are you sure?” he asked softly as she uncoiled around him, straddling him like she had before, though this time she was completely naked.

  “What, you think I have the willpower to stop at this point, even if I had any desire to?” she teased, grinding her hips slowly against him, feeling his hardness as she worked to slowly line him up.

  “If you want to stop—”

  “I know,” she said, kissing him fiercely. “But I don’t want to. What I want is you. Inside of me. Completely.” Her eyes blazing, she grabbed his chin and forced him to look her in the eye. “Got it?”

  “Very much so,” he replied, his voice calm and confident.

  Then he slid one hand firmly up her sternum and spread his fingers around her throat, squeezing lightly. “You had better stop teasing me then,” he commanded.

  A rush of warmth spread through her body as Braden suddenly took control of the situation. He used his hand around her neck to keep her still, while he pushed his other hand between them, using it to guide him until the tip of his thick cock started pressing on her opening.

  “There,” she told him, trying to force herself down, but his grip was unyielding. The only way she was going to get him inside of her was if she choked herself on him a little.

  Testing the waters, she forced herself down, feeling his fingers tighten against the sides of her neck. The flow of blood into her head was noticeably slowed. But all of that was overwhelmed as the first few inches of him slipped inside.

  Braden groaned as she gasped, lurching to a halt as her body trembled with anticipation, craving more. With a last quickly inhaled breath, Elle forced herself even lower. Braden’s fingers grew tighter, and more of his cock entered her. She continued this little game, gaining a fraction of an inch at a time, until she could take it no longer and had to lift off, allowing air and blood to flow back into her body.

  “Please,” she begged. “I just want you inside of me.”

  “How badly?” he growled into her ear, his eyes wide, pupils dilated with arousal.

  She slipped off him completely, grabbed his free hand, and shoved it between her legs so that he could feel the soaking-wet mess. “That badly,” she replied fiercely, climbing back on top. His fingers tightened around her throat and she forced herself down.

  Suddenly his hand stopped resisting and she dropped down forcefully onto his cock.

  “Holy shit!” she yelped as his entire length entered her all in one move.

  Her body couldn’t take it and she hunched over him as yet another orgasm tore through her, leaving her breath ragged and weak, legs trembling from the effort of simply keeping her upright. Elle panted and sucked in air as quickly as she could, her body singing with an intoxicating mixture of bliss and pain.

  “You said you wanted it,” Braden said wickedly in reply to her arched eyebrows.

  “Oh and I did. Do,” she corrected, raising herself and lowering her hips again, feeling every bit of him as he filled her. “Fuck you feel so good,” she moaned into his neck, her teeth digging into the skin there as she started to ride him nonstop, biting harder with each downward plunge of her hips. Braden groaned, leaning his head to the side, completely exposing his neck to her.

  They stayed like that for an indeterminable amount of time. Elle mounted on top, her arms wrapped around him, face buried in his neck, Braden with his hands gripping her waist tightly as she moved back and forth, up and down, neither of them trying to rush it. Everything about it just felt right. Elle could sense a vague awareness within herself, a knowledge that this person in front of her, half-man, half-beast, was the last person she would ever make love to. That nothing would ever hold a candle to Braden.

  In that moment, she was his, utterly and completely. When he stiffened and began to pull out, she clamped her legs down, showing him without words what she wanted. Her lover’s fingers tightened around her, squeezing her hips as he shook, and she knew what was about to happen. The intensity of it all overwhelmed her, and the instant her man exploded, she did too.

  Elle buried her face into his shoulder, muffling her cries as her entire body shook, assaulted by pleasure yet again, this time amplified by the deeper, more manly sounding noises coming from Braden. Elle enjoyed knowing that she was the source of his pleasure, of the tremors racking his body. That the warmth she could feel inside of her was brought on by his attraction to her.

  “Wow,” he breathed into her ear later, once they were both recovered enough to be able to speak. “That was…”

  “Intense?”

  “Powerful,” he agreed. “I’ve never…not with anyone. Yet you…” he lapsed into silence, unable to speak.

  Elle smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” she said lightly, nipping at his shoulder.

  “I don’t think I was the only one.” He glanced pointedly between them.

  “Never said you were. Now, let’s move it.” She lifted her leg off him in a slow motion, designed to gravi
tate his eyes toward her body as she stood. “It’s showering time.”

  Braden growled softly. “Excellent.” Then, before she could react, his thick arms snatched her off the ground and into the air, holding her tight to him as he gently and quietly—for a six-foot-eight giant—carried her to the bathroom.

  She slipped out of his arms as he closed the door and bent over to turn on the water. Almost immediately an oversized hand smacked into her rear.

  “I should have seen that coming,” she muttered, shaking her head and turning on the shower.

  “Don’t act like you didn’t like it.” The same hand returned, except this time it squeezed and gently massaged.

  “Okay mister,” she said, turning and pointing a finger at the shower. “In.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Braden ducked his head and got inside.

  Elle grinned, shaking her head as she followed him in. “You’re ridiculous.”

  His response was perfect. “You have no idea.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Braden

  He closed his eyes and stretched, forcing himself awake.

  You don’t need the sleep. You made the choice to sacrifice it in exchange for other things. So stop whining brain, and wake up.

  His brain countered that argument by saying he’d been thinking with another part of his body when he made the decision to stay up late, and then wake up several times throughout the night. Braden tried to counter it, but he couldn’t. It was true.

  Doesn’t matter. Get up anyway.

  Reluctantly he pushed himself into a sitting position, doing his best not to disturb Elle. He smiled as she rolled over from where she’d been sleeping on her back and found his leg, wrapping one arm over it and cuddling up to his upper thigh with an adorable little contented smile.

  She was perfect for him. If he’d had any doubts, they were gone now after the night of passionate lovemaking that they’d shared. There were no doubts in his mind. Most of the night had been slow and intense to the point of being overwhelming as they explored each other’s sexuality. Occasionally they’d had a bout of rougher, harder sex, but much of the night had been spent in each other’s arms, simply writhing and grinding against one another with a patience and leisurely pace that would have driven him insane if it were with anyone else.