Mary and the Bear

Chapter Fifteen

She snuck away to her private place. The ranch was hustling with the business of spring, but she lay there decadently in all her natural splendor. Whenever she got the chance, she would slip away from the house and endless chores, and climb up to the hayloft above the barn. There she kept a special quilt, made with her own hands. On days like today when the loft doors were open, she would spread out her quilt on the bales of hay and lay there, sometimes reading, sometimes daydreaming.

Today she felt particularly naughty. Despite the chill in the air, the sun felt so good that she'd stripped down to her skin. She laid spread eagle, like a pagan sacrificial offering to the warmth of the sun. As the cool breeze caressed her naked flesh, she allowed her mind to drift, never noticing when her musings turned into dreams.

It was the touch of a hand on her body that awakened her. Her eyes opened slowly to see Jake, one of her father's many ranch hands, standing over her. He stood there, his lean muscular chest bare and his jeans ridding low on his hips. Most of the ranch hands gave Jake a wide berth and part of it was due to his size. He was a veritable giant of a man. The other part of it was due to his obvious Indian heritage. No one would dare say it to his face, but behind his back they referred to him as that ‘damned half-breed.'

He made no bones about who or what he was. You took him as he was or not at all. His midnight hair flowed to his shoulders, emphasizing his native blood. Normally he kept it tied back out of his way, but today it was flowing loose, blowing in the gentle breeze that came through the open doors. Jake was a good man who was good with his hands. He had two areas of expertise: horses and knives. The first one guaranteed him a job on any ranch in the state. The second one guaranteed that no matter how negatively a man felt about him, they would keep it to themselves.

She'd had her eye on him for a while now. Oh, she would never pursue anything with him. Not because she was too good for him. No, never that. She was too big and too plain to ever be noticed by him. He could have his pick of any woman he wanted. While many of them wouldn't be seen with him in public, they would spread their thighs for him in an instant in the secret dark of the night if he but asked.

She had no hopes that he would ever notice one such as she. Even if he did, there was no future in it. Her father would have a conniption fit. There was no way his lily-white daughter was marrying some damn half-breed. She had to content herself with her virginal fantasies, knowing that's all she'd ever have of him.

The hand that held her foot slowly glided up her leg, reminding her that she lay naked before him. A blush painted her body pink but she did nothing to cover herself. This was her fantasy come to life and she was going to enjoy it. This man that she wanted above all others was looking at her with desire in his eyes. He could do with her as he willed.

His hand slid up the inside of her thigh all the way to the apex of her legs, which he bypassed and drifted over her stomach to her breasts. He circled his finger around the base of one, through the space between and then around the base of the other. His circling finger eased higher and higher until finally, he touched her nipple. It felt so good that she bit back a moan. A part of her was afraid that this was really a dream and that any sound on her part would cause him to vanish.

He knelt on the quilt beside her and lowered his mouth to her breast. She'd played with her breasts in the privacy of her room, wondering how it would feel to have a man's mouth on them, but never could she have imagined this. She'd heard some of the faster girls talking, telling about some of the things they secretly allowed boys to do to them and how good it felt. She'd been skeptical but now she was a firm believer.

His mouth traveled down over her belly and he used his knee to part her legs, making a place for himself between them. She watched, unable to believe this was really happening to her. It had to be a dream. There was no other explanation.

His mouth drifted lower and she caught her breath at the direction in which he was heading. Surely he wouldn't kiss her there. He did! Stars Alive! She'd never in her wildest dreams imagined a man would put his mouth on a woman there. It felt so strange, forbidden. She barely touched herself there, even when bathing. The things he was doing with his mouth amazed her. She bit her lower lip, trying valiantly to keep quiet. She didn't want to distract him or do anything to cause him to stop.

She gripped the quilt beneath her so tightly, her knuckles showed white. Completely beyond her control, her legs opened wider and her hips began to move, thrusting upward to get closer to his mouth. Something strange was happening in her body. There was a pressure, a tension that was growing inside of her. The feelings scared her but it felt too good to stop.

She began to silently whimper, her eyes closed to better capture the feelings he was creating inside of her. Finally, like a rubber band stretched to tight, she snapped. The feeling caused her back to arch off of the bed as she shuddered and groaned.

Jake pulled off his jeans and moved up between her openly splayed thighs. His rod was thick and heavy with desire. He leaned on one elbow and used his hand to guide himself to her opening. She felt his rod as it nudged against her a heartbeat before it plunged inside.

Mary Elizabeth's eyes snapped wide open as she hissed in pain, her nails digging into the muscles of Hugh's back so hard that she drew blood. He stopped immediately and held still over her, recognizing the sound as one of intense pain, not pleasure. Leaning to the side, he reached out and flicked on the bedside lamp. His movement cause her to grip him tighter and suck in a sharp breath as swollen, tender vaginal tissues attempted to adjust to his presence.

After one look at the pain on her face, Hugh braced on his forearms above her and began to gently withdraw. Knowing instinctively what he was about to do, she locked her legs about his hips and used her strong leg muscles to keep him locked inside. “No, it's alright. Don't stop. I'll be fine in a minute."

"It's not alright. Look at you. You're in pain. Hell, I knew better than to do this. You're still sore from last night.” He began cursing himself under his breath for allowing his lust to get the better of him.

"Hugh, I'll be fine. If we take it slow and easy, it'll be okay.” She gripped him tighter with her legs. She was tender, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Already her body was starting to loosen and relax around him. She wanted him. She was not going to let a little tenderness prevent her from enjoying his touch.

"I'm not willing to take that chance. I will not be responsible for hurting you. Once was enough. You think I didn't see you hobbling around this morning? I saw. What's more is that I expected it. I'm the one who cleaned the blood from your body last night while you slept. Until you are totally healed, I won't be touching you and that's final."

Thrown for a minute by the knowledge that she'd bled, she opened her mouth to argue. Hugh cut off the argument she was about to make by dropping his upper body down on her. The weight of his chest knocked the breath out of her, preventing her from speaking. Reaching behind him, he pried open her legs and freed himself.

As Hugh rolled to sit on the side of the bed, her alarm clock went off. She reached out angrily and slapped the thing off. Hugh took advantage of her brief distraction to slip on his pants and leave the room. As he walked out of the door, he called over his shoulder, “I'll get the coffee started while you get ready for work."

The words that flowed from her mouth would have shocked her mother. She stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door. She was horny and frustrated. It didn't matter that Hugh had brought her to climax only moments ago. She'd been sleep and thought she was dreaming. Who the hell told him he could spend the night with her anyway? Didn't he have a home?

She washed and went back into the room to dress, still calling Hugh every name she could think of under her breath. When she was dressed, she stalked into the kitchen to get some coffee to drink, anger in every line of her body.

"Hardheaded, stubborn man. Like I don't know my own body.” She ignored the little voice of reason telling her that Hugh had done the right thing. She ignored him as well until he went into the bathroom to prepare for the day.

She slammed cabinets, looking for something to eat. “Screw it. I'm too angry. I don't even like breakfast."

Hugh entered the kitchen dressed differently from the night before. He must have packed a bag yesterday, which meant he'd planned on staying here last night. “Yes, Hugh. I'd love for you to spend the night. So good of you to ask,” she muttered under her breath. Yet another thing to be pissed about.

"You need more than coffee this morning. You need to eat. You don't know what's in store for you today and your brain will function better if you eat a little something. It doesn't have to be much. Why don't I make you some toast?"

She finished her coffee and walked around him to put her cup in the sink. After retrieving her lunch from the refrigerator, she walked out of the kitchen and went to get her purse so she could leave. She had nothing to say. Didn't even want to look at him. Purse and lunch in hand, she walked to the door and opened it.

"Oh, no, you don't. You're not walking out of here angry. We'll settle this thing here and now, before you leave."

The door shut with a bang as he spun her around. Knocking her things out of her hands, he caught her by the thighs and lifted her up, pressing her back against the door. The move startled her into grabbing his shoulders. “I know what your problem is and I'm going to fix it. Right here, right now."

Lining his cock up with the notch in her thighs, he held her open as he pressed his erection against her throbbing clit. He rubbed against her in a motion that quickly had her squirming in his arms. When she was sufficiently aroused, he lowered his mouth and kissed her. She was so on edge that it didn't take long to make her explode in his arms. He continued to rub against her, drawing out every last drop of pleasure.

With her body still shuddering, he broke their kiss and slid to his knees. He reached under her skirt and removed her underwear. Then he draped a leg over his shoulder and lowered his mouth to her pussy, which glistened with honey. He licked her slit, before concentrating on her clit. He took a single finger and stroked it in and out of her sheath, until she came apart in his arms.

When she lay panting against the door, he licked his mouth and fingers clean. “Better?"

Mary Elizabeth buried her face in her hands. “God, I acted like such a brat. I'm sorry I got so mad."

"Sexual frustration will do that to a person."

"What about you?” She cupped his erection. “You didn't come."

"You don't have time to take care of me. You've got a job to get to. Go get cleaned up so you can leave before you're late."

She went in the room and straightened up. When she returned, he handed her things to her, he kissed her lightly on the lips and opened the door. “Have a good day at work. Come to the diner tonight when you get home, after you've had a chance to unwind. I'll feed you. I hope your lunch is okay."

"Even if it's not, it won't change the taste and that's all that matters.” She reached up for one, last lingering kiss before walking out the door. At the bottom of the stairs, she turned and waved when she spotted him still standing there watching.

Hugh stood there until she got in her truck and drove away. As soon as she was gone, he headed straight for the bathroom, undoing his pants as he went. He dropped his pants and stood over the toilet. His cock was so hard that he could hammer nails, and just as painful. Three to four strokes later he was shooting his load into the bowl.

Pulling out had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. As her mate, her needs came before his own, not that she'd thanked him. The little hellion had quite a temper on her. A wicked grin crossed his face before he laughed. Fortunately, he was man enough to handle her. Damn, the next couple of days waiting for her to heal were going to be rough.

Kiesha pounced as soon as she walked in the door. “Where the hell have you been all weekend? I've been calling since Saturday and you never answered. The phone just rang and rang."

"Well, hello to you, too. And for your information, my phone never rang. I would have heard it if it had. I've been home all weekend.” Except for the time she spent with Hugh, but she wasn't ready to talk about that just yet.

"I was really worried about you. I know Hugh told Alex that you were fine but I needed to know for sure."

"I'm fine. It got a little rough Friday night but everything turned out okay. I can guarantee that I won't be drinking any more Shifter Surprises, no matter how good they taste. My one experience with their potency was enough."

"Alex said you were sick but that Hugh stayed long enough to make sure you were alright. He was really worried about you when you left the party. Are you sure the two of you don't have something going?"

Mary Elizabeth had forgotten their conversation about Hugh. It seemed a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then. “I'm sure I'm not ready for a serious relationship with anyone right now. I might be persuaded to fool around and have a little fun, but he would have to agree to keep things light.” Then she laughed, thinking to herself, Hugh was definitely fun.

Kiesha laughed with her. “Well, I'm glad you're okay. I'd hate for you to have come all this way and have something serious happen. Your mother would kill me."

"I doubt it.” There was only a hint of bitterness in her tone. She'd learned a long time ago to accept things the way they were. Changing the subject, she looked around at the construction site that was her new place of employment. “Okay, now that I'm here, where do I start?"

Kiesha showed her where everything was going to be when the work was finished. She explained in greater detail what Mary Elizabeth's duties would be and showed her the office that was hers alone. There was an office for Kiesha and one for Shannon, which probably wouldn't be used.

Kiesha gave Mary Elizabeth a budget, put her in charge of hiring and turned her loose. She spent the morning posting job notices and setting up her office. The rest of the afternoon was spent in conference calls with the other store managers going over potential merchandise for the new store. Kiesha was still studying the feasibility of relocating the on-line store to Refuge. It was a move that would require a lot more personnel than what they were currently planning on hiring and/or relocation for some of the current staff. There was a lot to consider before a final decision could be made.

Mary Elizabeth left the store at the end of the day, tired but invigorated, and looking forward to tomorrow. Remembering what Kiesha said about calling reminded her that she planned to buy a new phone. She went to the local drugstore and found one with caller ID and a built-in answering machine. While hooking it up, she noticed the phone cord was unplugged from the wall jack. That was strange. She didn't remember the cord being loose. She plugged it back in and spent a few minutes setting up the phone before she was completely satisfied. Then she changed clothes and went to join Hugh in the diner, hungry and ready to eat.

It was Monday and business was slow. Hugh called out as she entered the diner, “Come on back and wait in my office."

She did as instructed. She'd barely glanced around when Hugh entered the office with two plates piled high with food. “I am so hungry."

"Good, I fixed plenty.” He sat the plates on his desk and motioned for her to eat.

"How was your first day of work?"

"Good. I spent most of the day setting up my office and reviewing the budget Kiesha gave me. I also posted job announcements in the paper."

"How many people are you looking to hire?"

"For now, until we get a better idea of the volume, only two or three full-timers. Later we may add some part-timers as well."

The conversation transitioned from discussing their day to how they each ended up in their current careers. Hugh told her about his career in the military and his decision to open the diner upon retirement. With each conversation they shared, she was coming to know and like him better.

Before it could get too late, she excused herself to go home. Hugh walked her to the door, kissed her goodnight and kept watch as she climbed the stairs until she entered the apartment. Thirsty again, she threw her keys on the table, and went to the refrigerator to get something to drink. “What the hell?"

The refrigerator was full of food. Food she didn't buy. She closed the fridge and started opening cabinets. The story was the same. Her cabinets, even the pantry, were all full of food items she hadn't bought. Some items were familiar favorites while others were things Hugh must have a preference for. “Why would he...?"

She left the kitchen and stood in the living room staring into space, trying to understand what would make him do such a thing. Finally, it occurred to her to see what else he'd done while she was at work.

In the bathroom, the toothbrush he used this morning was still there. Inside the mirror, a can of shaving cream and a razor sat on the shelf. This isn't so bad, she thought. In her room, everything appeared to be the same until she opened the closet. Several of his pants and shirts, enough to last at least a week, hung beside her clothes. On the floor sat a bag containing several changes of socks and underwear.

She backed up slowly and sank onto the bed that still smelt like him. He was doing too much—way too much—too fast. More than she was comfortable with. They'd only been a couple for three days and the man had virtually moved in with her.

She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he wasn't trying to move in. Maybe he was just leaving a few items here for convenience sake; the same way women like to leave things at their lover's homes where they spent a lot of time. After all, a few outfits did not a wardrobe make. She tried to make herself believe it through her entire yoga routine, shower and as she prepared for bed. It didn't work.

Part of her was shocked and offended that he'd dared to invade her space in this manner. Since being on her own, she'd always lived alone, even in college. She wasn't used to sharing her space, and was a very private person, rarely inviting people to visit. She enjoyed her privacy too much.

Another part of her, the more animalistic side of her nature, recognized his actions for what they were and was deeply disturbed. The man was claiming her space even as he'd claimed her body. It was too much for her to handle, so she did what she always did, buried it to deal with later. She pulled out her CD of the sounds of the ocean that she played whenever she needed to relax. With the sounds of nature all around her, she climbed into bed and was immediately engulfed by Hugh's scent, which did more to calm her nerves than anything else.