Page 11 of Bearly in Love

nine

MADISON

We ended up on the couch eventually. We were both sticky with sweat and pleasure, but the blankets I’d put down to cover the cushions were still there, so we just plopped down on top of them.

Bo pulled me onto his lap before he turned on one of the spy movies I liked. His face was buried in my hair, and I was pretty sure he hadn’t seen a single moment of the movie.

I wasn’t sure what it was about my scent that he liked so much, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Not when it bought me endless orgasms for the next few days.

We must’ve sat just like that for an hour. When the movie hit a slow part, I nudged Bo lightly.

He grunted, and I realized he must’ve been asleep.

“Huh?” His voice was heavy with exhaustion.

I’d noticed earlier that it didn’t look like he had slept last night, so I guess I should’ve expected that.

“Nothing. Go back to sleep,” I murmured.

“Tell me.” His forehead pressed against mine lightly, and it felt so comfortable that I closed my eyes.

“It was just a question. It can wait.”

He squeezed my bare hip. “Ask.”

I swatted his hand, though I didn’t actually want him to let go. It felt too good to be held like this. “I was going to ask what you meant earlier. About Artie. You said he cares more than I think.”

Bo went quiet.

“He didn’t even invite me to his wedding , Bo.

You know taking a mate means forever for supernaturals.

He didn’t invite me to meet the girl he’d chosen or to celebrate their bond.

He definitely wasn’t coming to my wedding, either.

He didn’t stand up for me with dad, and he was a complete asshat through my entire childhood and all of my teenage years. ”

The more I talked and thought about it, the angrier I got.

“The only brotherly thing ever he did was scare off any guy who showed any interest in me in the first half of my high school experience, and he only did that because my dad told him to so I would be pure for the alpha. And the alpha didn’t even want me pure!

Artie was way more of a brother to you than he ever tried to be to me. ”

“You’re not wrong about any of that,” Bo admitted. “But from his perspective, he was at the bottom of the skulk’s rank ladder. You were at the top. Your dad told him over and over not to ruin your chance at moving up in the world, so he tried to stay out of your life.”

He added, “A lot of the guys he scared off were actually sent by your alpha for various reasons. He tried to buy you as much privacy as he could while staying out of the way so he wouldn’t affect your chance for a better life. When he was old enough, he left to find his own version of that.”

“Being forced to spend forever with an asshole is not better than being at the bottom of a stupid social construct like the skulk. I could’ve left too, if he’d just stood up for me,” I shot back.

“Obviously, he didn’t know about the list of requirements that asshole would send you.” Bo’s voice lowered. “But most of the time, he was still a kid too. If he’d stood up to the alpha for you, there’s a damn good chance he would’ve been killed. The alpha wants a kitsune mate, at any cost.”

“You think I don’t know that? I’m the one who’s been told my whole life that I exist just to be his wife.

That my only purpose is to grow babies for him.

” I pushed away from Bo’s grasp, needing to stand.

My fists clenched, and I started to pace the living room.

The spy movie was still playing in the background, but it was the last thing on my mind.

“Do you know what that’s like? To be raised being told that your only value is in your fucking womb?

I don’t matter; the bucketloads of children I’ll have for him do.

My future mate matters. The fact that I can shift into a fox matters.

Not my personality. Not what I want, what I like, or who I want to love. ”

I went on, “Everything I am can be summed up in what I’m expected to do: mate with the alpha and grow him a litter of kitsune daughters to sell to the rest of the pack.

Which will solidify our position for all of time, of course.

Because that’s all that matters to the skulk. Status. Attention. Money.”

I was naked, but Bo’s attention was fixed on my face.

He looked sort of… pale.

“You don’t know what it’s like,” I stated.

“Because you were born with a cock, you had freedom. You had the opportunity to turn down the marriage your clan arranged for you. The clan wouldn’t give you any of their money afterward, but you didn’t need it.

You could go to college. You could work wherever you wanted, do whatever you wanted, and become whatever you wanted.

I didn’t—and don’t—have any of those options. ”

“There’s no one to take my place. The only way I can avoid a life that’s my literal definition of hell is if I run away and find another mate before the alpha can force me to be his. And if I do that, I know he’ll do his damndest to try to kill me afterward,” I finished.

There was a beat of silence.

A long, tense one.

“Fuck,” Bo finally said. His voice was low, and his face was pale.

I dropped onto the couch across from him, a humorless laugh escaping me. “Yeah, fuck.”

“I won’t let him take you.”

“He’s not going to come alone. If he finds me here before I can run, he’ll bring enough of his people to stop you from helping me get away. And we both know I can’t outrun him. I’ve hated what I am for too long. I don’t have the winter fur.”

“It can still grow in.”

“Yeah, if I could spend enough time outside.” I gestured to the window.

We both knew the snow was up way too high for that. Maybe if I’d been a wild fox, I’d know how to survive out there, but I wasn’t. And I didn’t.

“If he makes it here before you can get out, we’ll think of something,” Bo finally said.

“Alright.” My anger was draining away.

All that was left in its place was exhaustion. And sadness. Maybe a little hopelessness, too. Together, they made a really great pessimism cocktail.

A minute of silence passed.

“Think you can still crush me in Call of Duty?” Bo finally asked.

I perked up, just a little. “Duh.”

“Have you played lately?”

“Hell yeah. I made a bunch of COD friends at the resort. I play with those bastards all the time.” I perked a little more. “Have you?”

“Of course. I’ve been training to kick your ass since you beat me when you were fifteen.”

“I was always unnaturally skilled at video games,” I admitted. “And your ridiculously gigantic hands definitely didn’t work in your favor.”

“These ridiculously gigantic hands have plenty of other uses, as you damn well know.” He flashed me a look on his way over to the TV, where he grabbed two video game console remotes. The one for the TV was already on the couch.

“Valid point.” I had to give him that.

There was definitely no denying his other skills. And I wanted to take advantage of those skills again before it was time for me to make my escape, so pretending they didn’t exist wouldn’t work in my favor.

“Besides, I have trained these hands to destroy you.” He tossed me one of the remotes and wiggled his fingers in my direction. “Prepare to be defeated.”

“Prepare yourself.”

He turned the TV on, and started the game.

It ended up being the most fun I’d had in ages.

Three hours later, I was sitting on Bo’s lap in an effort to distract him with my body. His erection was nestled between my ass cheeks again in an attempt to distract me.

We were both horny as hell, and very invested in winning. Guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by that, considering it seemed like the adult version of what things had been like when we were teenagers.

“Give it up, Madi. You’re never going to beat me twice in a row,” Bo growled.

The score between us was dead even. We played on different teams every time, trying to establish which of us was better. We ended up with nearly even points every freaking time, and even after that many hours, neither of us could manage to win twice in a row.

It was ridiculous.

And a shit-ton of fun.

“You give it up, Bobo. You’re not going to beat me twice in a row either,” I tossed back.

Another game ended—his team won. But mine had defeated his last time.

“Nice work. I’ll crush you next time.” I patted his thigh in future condolences.

He sighed heavily. “Alright, I’m prepared to offer you a deal.”

“I’m listening.”

“Cookies,” he said. “I will make you chocolate chip cookies, if you agree to end this war while we’re tied. When we start playing again, we can be on the same team.”

“Deal.” I didn’t even have to think about it.

It wasn’t often that someone offered me homemade chocolate chip cookies, after all. And no matter how many cooking classes I was forced to take, I never seemed to get any better. It wasn’t rocket science, so I didn’t know what I was doing wrong.

Maybe my conscience or soul or something was just so opposed to being a perfect tradwife for the asshole alpha that the food I cooked always went to shit.

“Thank fuck.” Bo lifted me off his erection and deposited me on the couch.

“I’m going to take a quick shower while you make them, so I’m clean and ready to destroy y—with you.” I corrected myself.

“I’ll take one after you.” He squeezed one of my tits before striding into the kitchen.

“For the record, my vagina is closed for the night,” I called after him. “My mouth, too.”

“Put me on the books for tomorrow.”

A laugh escaped me. “I’ll schedule you in.”

When I stood up, the bastard legitimately winked at me before I slipped into the bathroom.

I showered quickly. Bo stepped into the bathroom as I was drying off, and his gaze scanned my body.

His whistle made me roll my eyes. “The station is closed for the night, remember?”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the view from out here.”

I swatted his arm playfully, but he caught my wrist and pulled me close. His mouth met mine, the touch of his lips soft and intimate before our tongues found each other.

I stepped closer, tipping my head back to give him better access.

His grip was steady on my hips, his mouth moving slowly with mine.

He wasn’t trying to start something. We both knew that wasn’t happening again today. He’d fucked me into oblivion already, and I didn’t have the energy or the desire for more at the moment.

He was just kissing me.

And honestly?

I loved it.

He broke the kiss off after a few minutes, kissed my nose, and stepped back. “I’ve got to wash my favorite scent in the world off my skin. I’ll need you to sit on my lap afterward.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Don’t bullshit me.”

“I’m not, and I’ll take that as a yes.” He smacked my ass lightly before he stepped into the shower. He’d found some shorts while I was washing up, and they clung to his butt in a way that made me want to drool.

There was no way to fight my smile as I stepped out to get dressed.