Chapter 20

Bruin kept his head as they walked through the first few attractions in a tight, quiet group, glad he was with Willow, so the wolves wouldn’t see how nervous this place made him. As long as Willow was with them, he would play the part of big bad bear perfectly, because that’s what he was. Her protector, no matter how creepy the painted carousel horses were, lying on their sides fifty feet away from the tilting carousel. If one of them came to life, Bruin would smash it to a thousand pieces before letting it anywhere near Willow.

Willow stroked the side of his hand with her thumb, her eyes everywhere, a smile fixed on her face. She was loving this, loving being here, and he was thrilled to have been the one to bring her. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth, remembering her lips on his. That moment when he’d kissed her.

He slowed, then stopped, tugging at her hand to keep her with him as the others walked past them. When she looked at him questioningly he stepped in close to her. “You forgot something,” he whispered in her ear, hearing and not caring that he was purring again. It felt funny when he tried to talk, shaky in his throat and chest, but he couldn’t think about that, because when her brows pulled down in confusion he circled his hand to the nape of her neck, bent her slightly back, and pulled her in to another kiss that he could not have waited another minute for.

She went limp in his arms, completely liquid, the scant weight of her falling on his arm across her back, her free hand scratching at his chest, then rubbing over the muscles of his stomach and sides like she couldn’t get enough of him. He’d never been quite so glad for his size as he was in that moment. She seemed to revel in it.

He was dimly aware of the group getting farther and farther away from them, their light laughter and talk fading, but he didn’t care. He would kiss her soundly this time, not let her go until he’d had enough.

It was only when he realized he would never have enough that he pulled her upright again. She swayed, her eyelids half-lowered, and he thought he’d never seen anything quite so beautiful in his life; her dark coloring, the barely-there exotic slant to her eyes, her hair twisted around her head like a crown, outshining the flowers that dotted it. He wished fiercely he had never braided her hair, because he wanted to plunge his hands into it. Wanted to pull on it. To bend her backwards again with that long hair hanging down…

Bruin’s cock jumped in his pants and for the first time in ever his thoughts led him right to sex with the woman in his arms. Something he hadn’t even let himself consider before. Things had to feel right for Bruin, or he couldn’t contemplate them… and it had never felt right before-

Willow opened her eyes wide and stared up at him, her tiny pink tongue peeking between her lips, wetting them. “I did forget that, silly me,” she said in a throaty voice. “I’m quite forgetful sometimes.”

Bruin grinned at her. She was exquisite. He was going to-

An overly-dramatic ghost moan came from their left and Willow jumped and screamed, pressing into Bruin’s body. Bruin circled an arm around her, walking her back to the group, his eyes on the rickety outbuilding the moan had come from just in case. The group was ahead of them but Bruin could see immediately Mac was missing. They passed a six foot high duck, out of place smack dab on the cracked concrete path, with strangely bright yellow paint on its body, and a clown’s face.

Willow shuddered. “What is it?”

Bruin could see the open back with seats inside. “Must be from a ride.”

Rogue fell back towards them, then, looked at Bruin. “Sorry, Bru-Bru, but I’m stealing your girl.” She grabbed Willow’s hand and pulled her away. Willow threw one bemused look over her shoulder at Bruin, and then she was swallowed up by a crowding Rogue, Dahlia, Cerise, and Lillian, as the girls broke off from the guys, and headed down a concrete path, talking and giggling.

Bruin fell into comfortable step with Crew and Beckett, then Mac appeared, grinning at them, and he dropped back to walk with Mac, Crew and Beckett side by side in front. They all turned to follow the women at a distance.

Mac punched him in the arm. “I’ve been thinking, Bruin, and all that shit you told me about tantric sex was bullshit, wasn’t it? You’re a fucking virgin, aren’t you?” Crew and Beckett both turned around to look at him, like that was a fate worse than death. Bruin didn’t care. He knew who he was and why he did what he did.

He bobbed his head and laughed. “It might have been bullshit, Mac. For a wolf, you have a poorly-tuned bullshit detector, but I commend you for finally figuring it out.” Crew and Beckett snorted and looked forward again.

Mac didn’t speak for a while, his eyes on the knot of women ahead of them. “You might want to look into it, bear, cuz that’s one tiny woman. If you manage to get her back to your place, she’s gonna need tantric something to handle you.”

Bruin snarled, the noise ripping from his throat in a way that would never be confused with a purr. He grabbed Mac by the throat. “Don’t you talk about her like that. Don’t you even think about her like that!”

They all stopped in the road, Crew and Beckett turning around to watch, their faces wary.

Mac wrapped his hands around Bruin’s fingers and peeled them off his throat, peering into Bruin’s face. “Did you just… growl?”

Bruin grinned, pleased with himself, his moment of ire forgotten. “Yeah I did. Just call me a wolf.” He laughed and socked Mac on the shoulder.

Mac backpedaled, arms flying, as he pretended to try to keep his footing. He fell to one knee in the grass then popped to his feet, scowling at Bruin and rubbing his shoulder. “Take it easy,” he told Bruin.

“Sure,” Bruin said, loving the joke. Mac was so funny, pretending to be hurt.

They kept walking. Mac spoke, his voice low. “I’m just saying, Bru, you might want to go easy on her the first few times. You don’t, ah, need any instruction, do you?” His voice was controlled, like he really didn’t want to give instruction, but he would if it was needed.

Bruin shook his head, remembering his thoughts from earlier. They’d been very specific. “I think I can figure it out.”

Beckett turned around, walking backwards. “Mac’s got a point. If you figure out she likes to be roughed up a little, you’re really gonna have to be careful with her. You don’t seem to know your own strength sometimes.”

Bruin frowned. “Roughed up?”

Beckett nodded. “You know, little shit. Grabbing her by the throat. Pulling her hair. Nothing to hurt her, nothing even to say you’re in charge, unless she likes that. Maybe you’re just reminding her of your muscles, I don’t know, but I’ve only been with a few females who didn’t like it.”

Bruin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How do you know if they like it or not?”

Mac and Beckett exchanged a glance. Beckett kept talking. “Oh they let you know. If she stares at you with big eyes, she isn’t sure and you should not go farther or do it again for a while. If she grabs your hand or flares angry, stop and don’t ever do it again. But if she gasps and then grinds herself against you like she found her inner whore, you better do that shit again and again. The louder she screams or the more she squirms against you or the wetter she gets, that’s your road to everything you ever wanted.”

Bruin stopped mid-stride. Whore? Screams? Wet? Shit, he really didn’t know what in the hell he was doing. Nerves flared all over his body, making him sweat.

Mac dropped back and grabbed him by the elbow, pulling him along. “Don’t even worry about it, Bru, you just take it slow. This kind of stuff doesn’t have to come into play for a while. Maybe ever. You might be a love-making kind of guy, rather than a fuck-her-until-she-screams kind of guy. You know, candles, deliberate movements, everything all slip-slidey and slow. Women like that shit, too.”

Bruin began to walk again. “Everything I ever wanted?” he said to Beckett, who was still walking backwards and looking at him.

Beckett nodded. “You know. Endless sex. A soft woman with hair everywhere and a sweet scent to hold against your chest while you relax at night. A female who looks at you like you are the best thing in the world.”

Bruin swallowed hard. He did want that.

Mac shook his head. “That fucking hair, it gets everywhere. Sometimes I find it in my goddamn pockets.”

Crew turned around, his expression as mysterious as ever. “But would you get rid of it if you could?”

Mac shook his head. “Hell no. I love that shit.”

Bruin had an urge. He held up a finger to the wolves. “Be right back.” He jogged ahead, the purr starting in his chest as he contemplated his plan. Willow was between Rogue and Cerise, and they were all looking at an old wooden sign, trying to read the words there.

Willow had heard his purring. She turned, smiling when she saw him coming in fast. He grabbed her arm and pulled her behind another sign, no words of warning this time, just a hand around her hips and an elbow around the back of her head, then his mouth on hers. Sweet, sweet heaven. She flowed like molten honey in his arms, relaxing, opening her lips to him, inviting his tongue into her mouth. He would do anything she wanted, but especially that. He dipped his tongue in, lapping at her honey taste, thrilling in the sweet slide of tongue on lips and teeth and smoothness. Willow sighed, leaning back as he bent forward, holding her around her body, as she gave herself completely over to him. He wanted her alone, wanted to do this for hours, wanted to taste her-

His cock jumped in his pants trying to get his attention, making him pant. Willow moaned and pressed her core against him and he moaned and purred, purred and moaned. Such sweet torture. He wanted so much more, and yet he wanted nothing but this, forever.

Mac’s voice floated over to them. “Where the fuck is that big bear?”

Bruin broke the kiss and let Willow stand upright again, watching her to see how she would respond to what Mac had said. She didn’t know anything about shiften yet. He half hoped she would ask so he could spill all of it. She was part of all of this, he could tell by watching her with those women. Her sisters, all of them. But he also was nervous about telling her, still unable to fully believe that she could possibly be for him. The first rumblings of dissention stirred in his mind. If she was meant for another, Bruin might not stand aside and let that happen. Even if she “belonged to” the Bear of Great Insight. So far, she seemed to want him, Bruin. And she should always get what she wanted, not be bound by something as wispy as fate, or destiny.

She didn’t respond at all, only watched him with heavy-lidded eyes, her core still pressed against him, bucking ever so slightly. She bit her bottom lip and spoke huskily. “I should get back to them. But you do that again, whenever you want.”

She pulled apart from him, staring in his eyes, then ducked around the sign and jogged ahead to catch up with the group of women. Cerise and Dahlia held out their arms to her, grabbing her around the elbows, and all of them put their heads together and giggled.

Bruin tore his eyes away from them and rounded the sign, walking faster to catch up with the males. Mac gave him a look that said he knew exactly what Bruin had been doing and he fully approved. Bruin winked at him.

Ahead of them, the females walked a dozen more steps, then stopped at what looked to be an old kiddy roller coaster, with several six-foot ducks, each with a different, scary clown face, on the tracks. Lillian screamed and ran on ahead, her hands in the air, and the others laughed and followed her on a split in the path, disappearing from sight. Except Dahlia, she hung back slightly and looked at Crew.

Bruin’s attention was pulled to the ducks. “How did that one duck near the entrance get so far away, if this is the ride it came from?”

Mac rubbed his arms. “Ghosts. I told you this place is full of them. They move shit around at night just to fuck with people.”

Crew shuddered from ahead of them. “Those ducks are the creepiest thing here. See their paint? It should be peeling like everything else in the place, but it’s not.”

As they all stared, the duck that was closest to them grew fifty feet tall and opened its mouth and its clown eyes, then bent its head and pecked the ground, less than three feet to their left, like it was pecking a piece of bread off the concrete… a man-sized piece of bread.

They scattered, Mac shouting hoarsely and falling to the ground again, his hands up in horror. With a yell, Bruin went for him, grabbing him by the elbow to pull him to safety.

Beckett and Crew collapsed on the ground, their mouths open as peals of laughter bubbled up from them. Crew held his sides and Beckett wiped tears from his face.

Mac shot to his feet, confirmed the killer duck was gone, and booted Crew a good one in the ribs. “You fucker, did you do that?”

Crew howled in laughter, shaking his head, forcing out words between rare man-giggles. “Not me. Can’t… do… that.”

Beckett tried to get himself under control, then motioned up the path to where Dahlia was standing back a little ways from the other women, her arms folded, looking at them. “We came here last week. Dahlia can do it with anything.”

Mac stared at the ducks. “Shit, that was scary as fuck. Was it solid?”

Crew got himself together, wiping his own tears of laughter, and sitting up. “No, just an illusion. I wanted her to try to make it solid but Cerise was too freaked by the place to try it here.”

He pushed to his feet and pulled Beckett up. “I bet she could do it, though. She’s powerful.” The admiration in his voice was clear.

Mac wiped himself off. “Remind me not to invite her to my kid’s birthday party.”