Private Eye Bear's Mate: Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance Read online

  Chapter Twelve

  This was already the longest night of Gage’s life, and it wasn’t over yet. He sighed as he lay back on Alison’s cramped couch, bare feet up over an armrest, and rubbed at his temples. He wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight. Hadn’t got sleep much last night. This was not the time to be making proposals to his mate. He needed to let her rest.

  As an argument, it was fair, but it didn’t take into account his bear’s insistent drive to claim its mate. Alison’s scent had been nearly overwhelming, spicy-sweet and receptive, as she allowed his gaze to dwell on her skin, to heat and swell her tempting breasts. And then the almost chaste kiss she’d pressed to his lips... He closed his eyes to recall the sweet feeling of her mouth catching his.

  He wanted more than anything to spend the rest of his life with this woman. He wanted to please her and protect her, to show her his soft underbelly as well as his tough outer hide. She was his, and he was hers, and she seemed almost ready to trust him. But he didn’t want to rush her. She had to come to him first, or else he would always worry that he’d pressured her. He couldn’t live with himself if he did that to his mate.

  He could hardly believe how close he’d come to losing her tonight. Thinking of it even now left him with a sharp and breathless ache in his chest. A world without Alison in it would be unbearable. He didn’t want to imagine it.

  But he didn’t have to— she’d been so brave and strong and clever, and now Latimer would never hurt her ever again. He reassured himself of this as much as he had reassured her. The panic-stricken adrenaline shot of Alison’s call, of tracking her terrified heartbeat and fighting off the wolf shifter hadn’t allowed time for his own fear. Even after the police and ambulance arrived on the scene, he’d focused on Alison’s safety and on getting Latimer into custody. His mind has been laser-focused.

  But on the ride home he’d compulsively checked her silhouette in the passenger seat. He needed to make sure he hadn’t imagined the whole thing, that she was real and alive and next to him. Even now, he didn’t like being separated from her, unable to see that she was safe. But she had certainly proven that she was capable of taking care of herself when push came to shove.

  She is the perfect mate, his bear agreed, full of self-satisfaction. We always knew it.

  Still, it pleased Gage that she did seem to like it when he took care of her. He would take care of her forever if she would let him. With a low groan, he adjusted himself, thinking of the steep, flushed curve of her breasts and how her soft towel had tucked teasingly into the dark valley between. Her skin there would be so hot to the touch, smelling of her essence, a soft and erotic place to rest his head. He imagined her in his huge bed at home, wrapped up naked with him, sleeping soundly. Safely. The ache in his heart twinged in painful longing and he let out a rough breath.

  He shook his head, frustrated with himself. Pulling one of Alison’s soft blankets over his chest, he tried to concentrate on resting.

  Gage’s phone woke him with a quiet but insistent trilling. He was disoriented at first, sliding his hand out to reach the source of the noise, shifting his senses to accommodate the darkness of the room. His brain whirled with dream-thoughts until it snapped back into sharp memory. Alison’s apartment. Last night. Concussion check.

  He rose with swift movements, accustomed now to his night vision. His ears pricked to listen in on Alison’s light snoring in the other room, which was interrupted by strings of mumbled words. He couldn’t make any sense out of what she said, but the anxious tone worried him, and he moved quickly and quietly down the hall. A soft whimper reached his ears as he entered her room. Alison rolled over, legs kicking fretfully at the blankets. Her face was pinched in a confused expression, her eyes shuttling swiftly back and forth beneath her eyelids.

  “No,” she muttered, “I didn’t—”

  Gage reached out a gentle hand, laying it on her shoulder. “Alison,” he whispered. “Alison, it’s okay. You can wake up. It’s all right.”

  Alison stilled and then pulled sharply away with a startled yelp. Her eyes opened, searching wildly in the dark, her breath fast.

  Gage made soothing noises as well as he could, feeling like a jerk for scaring her. “It’s just me, it’s Gage,” he repeated calmly, hoping the emotion would reach through her sleep fog. “You’re fine. Everything’s fine.”

  “I didn’t kill him,” she rushed out, breathing hard and scared.

  Gage blinked, stunned silent for a moment. “No,” he managed finally. “Everyone’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

  Alison dragged in breath after breath, staring up at the ceiling. “I dreamed— I dreamed that I killed him. I hit him... and his head,” she trailed off as her hand crept up to feel at her own head.

  Gage waited, quiet.

  “There was all this blood. It burst— his head. It was so horrible and wrong and I was so scared.” Her voice cracked into a shocked laugh. “It was everywhere, it was so...”

  “Nothing like that happened,” he reassured. “It was a dream. You did everything just right.”

  Alison’s eyes tracked over to look at him, finally. “Yeah,” she agreed, voice settling as she met his eyes, lingered there. Her brow furrowed after a moment. “What will happen to him?”

  Gage sighed. “Probably he’ll be taken to a specialized rehabilitation facility. It’s anyone’s guess whether he can recover his human side fully, but either way, it’s the best place for him right now.”

  “Okay.” She nodded slowly. “I’m glad he’s gone.”

  “I promise he’ll never bother you again.” Gage looked into her worried eyes, then down at her hands picking at the covers. Time to own up, he thought. “And I— if you don’t want, I won’t bother you, either. I wasn’t totally honest with you. I’m not proud of that.” He swallowed. “It’s not how a good mate would behave. So if you want me to go tomorrow morning, I will. I’ll understand.” He watched her take him in, scanning his bare chest and mussed hair, recalling the night before. He could see it in her eyes when she came to a decision.

  “Stay here,” she said. “I think I’m... I want you to stay.”

  Gage took a long breath and sat slowly on the edge of the bed. His chest squeezed, afraid he was misunderstanding her. “You want me to...”

  Alison nodded. “Come here.” She bit her lip and lifted the blankets, patted the space next to her. Under the covers, he could see that she was still naked, curled up with sleep-wild hair and a hopeful, slightly anxious look in her wide eyes. She was beautiful. Perfect, his bear repeated with a depth of emotion that stunned him. He felt it well up inside him, this rolling, growing love he’d tried so hard to keep down, to temper and tame.

  “Whatever you need,” he rumbled low, his bear buzzing urgently under his skin. He slid across the cool sheets into the pool of warmth and scent where her body had lain. His senses felt sharp and muzzy all at once, hyper-aware of his mate and overwhelmed by the intimacy of her presence, of what she was offering him. “I swear I’ll never keep anything from you again.”

  She settled against him, soft breasts sliding and pressing into his side as she burrowed into his arms. She sighed, warm on his neck, murmuring, “I know. Thank you.”

  Gage’s body tightened at the sensation, his cock hardening. He took a slow breath. He wanted to tread lightly, not take advantage of her need for comfort. “How are you feeling?”

  She moved against him innocently, gently running her hand across his wide chest. Her fingers caught on his nipples and he repressed a gasp with effort. “Better,” she said softly. Then, “I’m sorry I pushed you away before. I was just so scared.”

  Gage pulled his mind firmly back to their conversation. “I understand. It’s okay,” he told her roughly. He drew a deep breath. As much as he feared this conversation, it had to happen. “I know it worries you that I’m a shifter. But it’s who I’ve always been and always will be. I can’t change it and I don’t want to. I love you, Alison. And I’ll do anything to
prove I’m different than Latimer, that I’m a worthy mate.” His stomach knotted up as he spoke, arousal fading into the background.

  Alison shivered and pushed closer to him, burying her face in his shoulder for a moment. He felt her take several unsteady breaths. Finally, she whispered, “I know. And if I’m honest, you’ve already proven it, over and over— the way you touch me, the way you talk to me, the way you respect me. I just didn’t want to trust it.”

  Gage slid his arms around her without thinking, closing his eyes as her words sank in. He waited, his bear silent for once, alert and begging for the words he longed to hear.

  She touched his cheek. “But I do. I do trust you.”

  Gage’s body jolted and he fought an intense instinct to shift, to twist his muscles’ shape until he could chase and catch Alison, taste and bite her skin, hold her down and make her his. He struggled to breathe normally, hands clutching the bed.

  “Gage?” She leaned up over him, her sweet face concerned. “What’s going on?”

  He let out a ragged whine and reached up an unsteady hand to touch her as she had touched him, gently, wonderingly.

  Her eyes softened in understanding, tender and brimming with tears. “It’s all right,” she whispered, and bent to kiss his mouth. “I’m yours. I’m your mate.”

  Gage’s whine twisted into a low, purring growl, deep and satisfied. Mate!

  Alison trembled hearing it, and he felt his bear roar in victory, fierce and long. He surged against Alison’s soft, pliant body, possessively gripping and swinging her round hips atop his. She gasped and caught herself on his shoulders, thighs tightening around him desperately. He hissed in pleasure, cock rubbing the tight seam of her ass. Perched above him on all fours, Alison looked like a gorgeous animal, her hair tossed like a mane, her eyes wet and bright with desire. Her breasts stood proudly from her chest, full and tight, teasing his skin as she breathed hard. Her slick opening twitched across his abdomen with absent, aroused motions.

  “Mate,” he purred at her, still overwhelmed by the effort it took to stay in his own skin.

  “Yes,” she hissed almost triumphantly, a smile growing on her face, like she was beginning to understand how thoroughly she could control him.

  Good, he thought. She should know. I am hers as much as she is mine. Gage tilted his head into her palm as she touched his temple. She slid her fingers through his hair, carefully combing and grooming, over and over. She leaned forward, an abstracted, fascinated look in her eyes.

  “My wild, strong bear,” she whispered, almost to herself. “So gentle for me.” Her fingers pulled lightly, scratching against his neck.

  Gage moaned in satisfaction, stirring beneath her. His bear rumbled, torn between letting her scratch and rub his body until she knew how tame he could be for her, and forcefully anchoring her on his cock and thrusting in deep and hard until she knew how rough he could be for her. He growled in agonized indecision.

  Alison shivered at the sound, twisting her hips, her wetness smearing into his skin. She bent low over him, licked the rim of his ear. “Gage,” she murmured hotly, “I want you to fuck me like you do with a mate. I want all of you inside me. I want... I need to feel you.”

  The image filled Gage’s mind and he could barely breathe, his bear snarling to be let loose, to claim. “You understand what that means?” He swallowed. “There can’t be any protection.”

  She nodded, eyes dilated and cheeks feverishly pink. “I’ve never done it, but I’m ready. I’m safe.”

  He nodded briefly, muscles straining up as he gazed at her in awe. She was stunning, his beautiful and brave mate. She had survived so much and still had the strength to take him inside her, to let him fill her up with his fierce and wild need. “Anything you want,” he promised, his whole heart aching for her love.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alison’s heart fluttered in her chest as she stared down at the gorgeous man beneath her. Yes, this one, her heart told her. He is the one. She didn’t know how she knew, just that her mind was clear and she had no doubt of her choice. Gage was her mate and she wanted more than anything to be his— whatever that meant for shifters. She was ready for any kind of crazy ritual, any kind of wild sex or blood oath, it didn’t matter to her as long as she and Gage were mates at the end of it. He swore to give her anything she wanted. She wanted his tenderness and his ferocity, his clan and his home, his love and his promise. The words caught in her throat, emotion choking what she yearned to tell him.

  Gage’s eyes flared as if he understood somehow, as if he knew her heart and felt the same. “Mine,” he rumbled, his chest vibrating beneath her hands. Before she could fully absorb the thrilling sensation, he caught her up with firm, wide palms and tipped her over, pressing her deep into the nest of warm sheets. His heat suffused her body, naked skin and thick muscles covering her, keeping her safe. “I need to taste you,” he rasped, running his lips over the delicate ridge of her eyebrows, kissing softly at the brush of her lashes. “All over. Let me scent you, spread you and mark you with my mouth.”

  Alison let out an involuntary cry, a rush of arousal slickening her core. She wanted him to lick it, savor it, swallow it. “Yes,” she whispered, hitching her hips restlessly.

  He moved down her body with an almost unbearable curiosity, kissing at the hidden scented place at the base of her neck, rubbing his nose along the sleek line of her collarbone, breathing in the deep hollow between her rounded breasts. Strands of his hair brushed electrifyingly at her nipples and his stubble roughed her tender skin, nearly painful. Gage worked so slowly, so thoroughly, that tears gathered again in the corners of her eyes. She gazed up at the ceiling trying to master her overwhelming emotions. Please, she begged into the hushed air. I’ve never felt this way, but I know it’s right. Please tell me what to do, tell me what a mate does.

  Instinctively, her arms came up around Gage’s shoulders, fingers massaging firmly at the thick cords of his muscles. He groaned into her skin, burrowing closer, and satisfaction zipped through her, joyful and bright. Yes. This. This is right.

  He bent his mouth to her nipple, held her breast warm in his palm, and sipped at it, gently coaxing her arousal to the surface. Her fingertips pushed hard into his skin, body shuddering with sensation. “One day,” Gage whispered, lower lip grazing her bud, “one day—”

  “Yes,” Alison hissed, images tumbling through her mind of someday, of building their clan, a sweet newborn baby to nurse. Gage licked her playfully, then bent to carefully kiss the center of her ribs. She slid her hands up to his head and held him there for a moment, breathing together.

  “Perfect,” he swore, scenting her deeply. His hands tightened on her hips and slid down beneath her thighs, lifting them easily over his shoulders. Her feet kicked the air and she laughed in delight at the unfamiliar sensation. A riot of emotions bubbled through her, complex and deep. Gage looked up at her, an understanding quirk to his smiling eyes. “Mating is... It can be surprising, I’ve heard,” he offered, voice husky.

  “Amazing,” Alison corrected warmly, still choked up. She rubbed her thumb at the corner of his mouth. “Now please—”

  His tongue flicked at her, and, eyes steady, he lowered his mouth to her heat. Alison let out a shocked cry, jolting as he lapped at her clit, but he continued down, licking at the seam of her, slowly teasing out the tart slickness within her. His mouth opened her and pressed in, insistent and hungry. Her fingers clenched into the sheets, her hips tilting to meet him and ride his mouth. Gasps and cries escaped from her raw throat. She tossed her head, hair tangling wild, tears and sweat trickling unheeded down her temples. He went on, tasting her again and again, chasing deeper and deeper for her essence. Her muscles fluttered as his tongue stroked inside her, pulling waves of orgasm into his mouth.

  “Oh,” she gasped and pushed her heels into the muscles of his back, urging his body upward. “Now, do it now!”

  Gage’s steady grip spasmed tightly on her hips and a desperate breath
huffed into her wet skin as he planted a mind-twitchingly good kiss over her clit. “Now,” he agreed, his voice deep and growly as he pushed up and over her.

  Alison gazed up at him, tightening her thighs around his waist possessively. “Mates,” she said, sure and clear.

  “Mates,” he repeated, voice rumbling in his chest, eyes dark.

  He slid into her so perfectly that her body ached and clung to his cock. She closed her eyes and pressed him close to her, held him tight, breathing shallow and fast. He teethed at her neck, biting and laving over her collarbone as his hips picked up speed. A whine escaped him, a soft growl, and his thickness pistoned inside her, filling and emptying her. The sensation was so good she could hardly stand it and soon she cried out, all her strength clenching around him, her entire mind and body centered on where they met. Gage let out a guttural shout and she felt his cock jerk inside her, marking her and making him her mate.

  Mine. Mine forever. Alison opened her eyes, smiling at the ceiling, savoring the feeling of him. She kissed his temple, damp with sweat, as he panted hot against her skin, unable to catch his breath. He still twitched inside her, making her let out shaky gasps, and his fingers found hers, curling warmly together. Yes. This. This is what I was waiting for. She felt the rightness of it throughout her body, radiating from his body, in the air around them.

  “I’m so happy,” she whispered into the air. It seemed like the universe must know it.

  She felt Gage smile, and then he raised his head and smiled into her eyes. “Me, too. I want to do this forever. I want this feeling forever.”

  Alison laughed and it caught Gage too, infectious. “Okay,” she agreed, smiling back at him. “I think we’ve got time for that.”

  Epilogue

  The morning mist was clearing over the freeway, casting a diffuse and glowing golden light across Alison’s face. Out the studio window, she watched the early traffic below, slanted sun beginning to gleam off the backs of the cars like twinkling lights in the dim. She smiled peacefully. Sunrise could be such a gorgeous time to witness. She really did love her job.