Chapter Nine
Her heart was so full that she thought it might burst. Serena wrapped herself in his arms, forgetting about the table laid with food and the couch full of mice. A grin blossomed across her face as her bear cuddled into her chest, content with being so close to Tristen at last. All the confusion of the past few days just melted away. She ran her fingers through his hair as he clutched her tighter.
“It’s grown,” she murmured. “When you first came you had that severe look. It was so short you might as well have been bald.”
Tristen shrugged as he moved to pick her up off her chair onto his lap. It was a testament to how sturdily the chairs had been constructed that there was no creaks or groans from their combined weight. Serena giggled as he started to kiss her collarbone. It was as though the dam had broken; he’d held himself back so long that he couldn’t stand not having himself all over her. She understood the feeling.
“Serena,” he sighed into her skin. “So beautiful. You’re so beautiful and so, so strong.”
Serena sighed as a pleasant shiver ran down her spine. Tristen focused in on her neck and she gasped slightly. Something tightened inside and she released a surprised whimper. She had never felt anything so powerful before.
Tristen pulled back and smoothed her hair from her face. A brilliant smile lit his face as he kissed her again. “Serena… what do you want?”
She didn’t reply, not quite certain what he was asking.
“You and me… right now. I want to know what you want. I don’t want to go too far and make you uncomfortable. So… what do you want?”
Serena leaned into him. A smile crossed her lips as she nuzzled into his neck, loving the response that she gave. “Everything.”
Tristen’s hands gently caressed her back, moving to her ass and thighs and then back up. He tilted her head, letting her have better access to his throat. Those big, strong hands moved under the thin nightie she wore, lifting it off her. She rose her arms and he tossed it aside, then moved his hand between her legs. His palm pressed against her through her underwear and she gasped, rocking her hips to get increased contact. Tristen kept an arm around her waist, letting her move freely but stopping her from falling off his lap.
“What do you like?” he asked huskily.
“Um… what do you mean?” She panted as he started probing at her underwear with his strong fingers.
Tristen nipped at her shoulder. “What do you fantasize about?”
Heat flooded Serena’s face, but it was nothing to the heat building in her core. She had a feeling that she could say the weirdest kink ever and he would just roll with it. Just like he could say anything and she’d be completely fine with whatever he wanted to do. Her heart swelled a little tighter as she realized that rather than taking the lead, he was letting her explore what she desired. He knew how to make her feel good and what he liked—but he wanted to give her the control.
The realization was paired with her kissing him passionately. Her tongue thrust into his mouth. Her hands clumsily ran down the front of his shirt, undoing the buttons there. With a grin she moved her mouth to his pecs, nipping at one of his nipples. Tristen grunted and lifted his hips slightly. She glanced up at him as she moved downward, seeing how his eyes were half-closed, a smile on his face.
“You didn’t answer me,” he rumbled low in his throat.
Serena gulped. She chewed her lip even as she smiled. “You mean the position I fantasize most about?”
Tristen nodded. “That works.”
“Well, then I guess it would be cowgirl style…”
“A good choice.” He lifted her back up and put her on the chair again. His hands ran down her form and deftly removed her underwear. She reached to unhook her bra but he caught her wrists. “You’re going to want to keep that on.”
“Okay.”
He removed his pants, letting her catch a full look at him. The thought of him inside of her made her swell and she parted her legs as she felt too much pressure there already. Tristen knelt between her legs, pressing his face into her. Serena’s fingers dug into his scalp as his tongue worked wickedly. Everything was so tight, she wasn’t sure she would be able to stand it.
She was crying out with pleasure by the time he pulled back. He squeezed himself, and she realized he had been preparing himself at the same time as her. Her body felt like it was vibrating as she caught his mouth with hers again. He kissed her back hard and deep, then pulled back again. He laid back, using their clothing to pillow his head, and pulled her over him.
Serena kissed down his body as she straddled him. She tried to push down on him, but he didn’t stay in place; Tristen chuckled, the sound rumbling, and reached to help guide himself. One of his hands gripped her hip, easing her down.
“Gentle,” he murmured. “We have to go slowly, since it’s your first time.”
Serena nodded as she lowered herself. His entry was tight and hot, taking her breath away. Pleasure rippled through her and her head fell back, a sigh falling from her lips. At one point there was an uncomfortable sensation that wasn’t quite pain, but she paused and allowed herself to adjust. Tristen flicked his thumb over her clit and a shudder ran down her spine. She was able to take him all in then.
Sensations she hadn’t known were possible filled her as she started to move. It was so powerful that it took all her concentration to grind herself against him. The trembling that had filled her returned with full force. She felt so tight inside that she couldn’t breathe. Soon she was crying out. His hands were on her hips and she braced herself on his arms.
“I c-can’t,” she stuttered out, and then everything exploded. Pleasure burst through her like fire. It raged through her blood, leaving her gasping and helpless in its wake.
She collapsed on him, gasping and whimpering with the intensity of what was going on inside of her. For a long moment, all she could do was lay there and gasp. When she gathered her strength back, she kissed his chest and neck before moving her way back to his mouth. He held her so close she could hardly breathe.
When everything had calmed down and her body was no longer vibrating, Serena smiled shyly at him. “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“So that’s what it’s like, huh?” Serena slowly eased herself off of him. There was a slight sting and she winced. “Is it always like that?”
Tristen shook his head. “No.”
She chewed on her lip. “Was I… was I good?”
“You were great.” He brushed her hair back from her neck and laughed. “Trust me. You’ve got some natural raw talent there.”
She stretched and then lay on the floor beside him. She pillowed her head on his shoulder and sighed. Her bear curled up, snoozing, and her own eyes started to drift shut. “I’ve never felt my bear this content before.”
Tristen made a noise of agreement in his throat. “Me, neither. Normally the damn thing is prowling around looking for the next thing to do. But now… it’s like…”
“Like I’m finally home.”
“Exactly.”
Serena propped herself up on one elbow. He was so handsome. With his sparkling eyes and that deep look of adoration. It made her tingle from head to toe. One of her hands rested flat on his chest, while her gaze moved across his beautiful face. His full lips, his beautiful eyes, his strong cheekbones.
“So… does this mean that we’re mates? I mean, both of us have just agreed that our bears have never been more content, so…”
“It must. Not that it’s that much of a surprise.” Tristen cupped her face with his hands. “I’ve been denying it for quite a while. My bear was drawn to you ever since the day you invited me into your greenhouse and showed me around. I looked at you and you were so strong, so determined, so knowledgeable. You were a woman. I thought that there must have been something wrong with me, to suddenly see something I’d never seen before.”
Serena kissed him gently. “Let’s not talk about that. You and I are together. We’re meant to be together, I know we are.”
“Yes. We are. My matriarch… I will protect you. You have to know that.”
“I do.” Serena sighed as she laid back down. She was certain that he would protect her. “But you can’t make my decisions for me. In the morning we’re going back to town and we’re going to deal with these anti-shifters in the way that we can all agree is best.”
Tristen didn’t reply for a moment. He kissed her gently on the top of her head. “You’re right. As much as I would love to keep you here, out of danger. We’ll go back to town tomorrow.”
She traced her hands over his chest. The past few years had been exceptionally difficult for the clan. First, Dwayne Sawyer had gone after Isaias Durant; he’d used local bears to kidnap Becky for ransom, intending to kill her and use it as a reason to regulate the bears’ activities and lives. Next, Marcus Haught got caught up with a drug dealer pushing drugs into bear territory, and he’d started (with the matriarch’s permission) holding bear pride events. That had led to increased protests by anti-shifters. Protesting their very existence, it seemed. That had reached a peak when the leader of the protests had been murdered, and the blame had been placed on Dr. Eneko Alava. And then her own family was targeted by the rivals of her grandfather’s clan, who wanted to wipe them out.
All in all, the clan had suffered a lot. And her absence would not do anything to help calm the people who were hurting and afraid.
“We have to take the fight to them,” she murmured. “The Sawyer group can’t be allowed to get away with this.”
“If we move without evidence, then they’ll just use the legal system to attack us,” Tristen replied.
“I have an uncle who’s a lawyer. A good one, too. Just let them try.” Her eyes narrowed and her vision seemed to sharpen as her jaw tightened. “I am not going to hesitate when my clan needs me. We are going to take the Sawyers out. And I’m going to need your help.”
Tristen curled a hand into her hair. “Anything for you.”