Page 28 of Grumpy Bear (Return To Fate Mountain #4)
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Firelight from the hearth in Henry’s cabin danced across his features, illuminating the sharp angles of his face. “You survived giving your speech at the grand opening,” she teased gently, unable to resist running her fingers along his muscular thigh.
His answering grunt held amusement rather than irritation. “Barely.”
So much had changed since their first stormy night here. Ivy traced the rim of her tea mug, ceramic warm against her fingertips. “I keep thinking about how far we’ve come,” she began. “From you growling at my project to protecting it with everything you had.”
Henry’s large hand found hers, calloused fingers intertwining with her smaller ones. The simple touch sent electricity racing up her arm. His thumb brushed across her knuckles in a gentle caress that made her breath catch.
“Ivy.” Her name emerged as a growl from deep in his chest, the sound reverberating through her bones. His eyes had darkened to molten gold as he turned to face her fully. “I need… I think it’s time.”
“Yes,” she whispered, abandoning her mug on the side table with trembling fingers. “God, I need it too.”
The tension between them finally snapped.
She found herself in his lap without conscious thought, straddling his powerful thighs as their mouths crashed together in desperate hunger.
His hands splayed across her back, pulling her tight against his chest until she could feel his hammering heartbeat matching her own.
“Bedroom,” he growled against her lips, already standing. She locked her legs around his waist, marveling at his strength as he carried her like she weighed nothing.
Each step toward the bedroom felt like destiny. This was the moment they would claim each other forever. Her bear pushed insistently against her skin, eager to mark and be marked by her mate.
In the bedroom, moonlight spilled through windows to paint silver patterns across the quilt. Henry lowered her onto the bed, then stepped back to pull his shirt over his head. Ivy’s mouth watered at the sight of his bare chest.
She sat up to remove her own shirt, pulse racing as his eyes tracked her movements. The intensity of his gaze felt like a physical caress, burning wherever it landed. She then reached behind her to unclasp her bra.
For a long moment he just looked at her, eyes glowing with primitive hunger. Then he was on her, pressing her back into the mattress as his mouth found her throat.
“So perfect,” he murmured against her skin, lips trailing fire down to her breasts.
When his hot mouth closed over one sensitive peak, Ivy arched off the bed with a sharp cry.
He lavished attention on her breasts, using lips and tongue and the gentle scrape of teeth until she was writhing beneath him.
Her hands tangled in his dark hair as he moved lower, kissing a reverent path down her stomach. He paused at the waistband of her jeans, looking up at her with eyes that now blazed pure gold.
“These need to come off. Now,” he growled, already working her button and zipper with eager fingers.
Ivy lifted her hips to help him tug the denim down her legs, underwear following in one smooth motion. Cool air kissed her overheated skin, making her shiver until Henry’s appreciative rumble sent liquid heat pooling between her thighs.
“Look at you,” he breathed, large hands sliding up her bare legs with reverent appreciation. “Absolutely perfect.”
He pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along her inner thigh, his beard creating delicious friction against sensitive skin.
By the time his mouth finally reached her pussy, Ivy was trembling with desperate need.
The first touch of his tongue against her slick folds tore a strangled cry from her throat.
“That’s it, sunshine,” he rumbled against her flesh, the vibration making her hips buck. “I’m going to make you come so hard for me.”
His tongue pushed through her folds and circled her clit while two thick fingers slid into her welcoming heat.
“Henry,” she gasped, back arching as pleasure coiled tighter in her core. “Oh god…”
“Come for me,” he growled, curling his fingers just right. “Want to taste your come before I claim you.”
The combination of his skilled fingers and talented tongue sent her over the edge.
Pleasure crashed through her in waves, inner muscles clenching rhythmically as he worked her through every aftershock.
Only when she collapsed bonelessly did he crawl back up her body, beard glistening with evidence of her release.
His mouth claimed hers in a deep, filthy kiss that let her taste herself on his tongue. The intimacy of it sent fresh arousal coursing through her veins. She could feel his impressive erection pressing insistently against her through his jeans.
“Pants, off,” she insisted when they broke for air, tugging at his waistband.
He obliged, standing to shed the rest of his clothing. The sight of him fully naked stole her breath—magnificent didn’t begin to cover it. All lean muscle and masculine power, with a light dusting of dark hair that led down to his proud erection.
“Come here,” she commanded, spreading her legs in blatant invitation. “No protection this time.”
“Ivy,” he breathed, her name a benediction.
He settled between her thighs with a groan, the broad head of his cock nudging against her entrance. They both shuddered at the contact, but he held still, framing her face with gentle hands. “Once we do this...”
“I know,” she whispered, reaching up to trace his beloved features. “We’ll be bound forever. Our souls, our bears—everything.”
“You’re sure?” The question held no doubt, only reverent wonder.
Instead of answering with words, she tilted her head to bare her throat—the ultimate gesture of trust. His pupils dilated, a possessive growl rumbling from his chest as his bear surged closer to the surface.
“Mine,” he snarled, canines extending visibly.
“And you’re mine,” she said as her own fangs lengthened.
With a groan that was half human, half beast, he pushed into her in one smooth thrust. They cried out in unison at the exquisite sensation of joining, bodies fitting together perfectly. He stilled to let her adjust to his considerable size, pressing fervent kisses across her face.
When she rolled her hips experimentally, he took it as permission to move. His first thrust was slow and deep, dragging across every sensitive nerve ending until she was gasping and clutching at his shoulders.
“More,” she demanded breathlessly. “I need more.”
He continued with mounting urgency, the ridges of his cock brushing her g-spot with every stroke. She wrapped her legs around his waist, meeting each thrust with equal fervor. The friction was incredible, pleasure building higher with each movement.
Their eyes began to glow as their bears pushed toward the surface. Henry’s movements became more desperate as he fought to maintain control, while Ivy felt her own beast clawing to get out.
“Don’t hold back,” she gasped, feeling another orgasm rapidly approaching. “Claim me, Henry. Make me yours forever.”
With a roar that shook the windows, they struck simultaneously. Fangs sank into the junction of neck and shoulder as they marked each other, twin points of pain transforming instantly into the most intense pleasure either had ever experienced.
Reality shattered as she came. Ivy found herself floating in an infinite expanse of stars, consciousness expanding beyond all physical limits.
She was no longer human but a massive grizzly with starlight caught in her fur.
Across from her, Henry’s larger bear form appeared—powerful and majestic, with eyes like molten gold.
“This is our bond space,” his voice echoed in her mind as their bear spirits began to dance.
A flood of memories and feelings washed between them.
Henry’s heart opened to her, revealing years of choosing solitude over rejection, of building walls so high no one could see his vulnerability.
Ivy felt the cold nights alone in his cabin, the comfort he found in silence, the fear that kept him apart from others.
In turn, she shared her truth with him. How tiring it was to always be the bright one, the optimistic one, the one who never faltered. Her worry that someday she would let everyone down, that her sunshine would dim when they needed her most.
Their souls touched, merged, became something new. No longer just Henry, no longer just Ivy, but something new. The starlit space around them hummed with their joining, like the universe itself approved of their match, celestial lights shifting to acknowledge their bond.
Slowly, they drifted back to their bodies, still wrapped together in an intimate embrace.
Their fangs slipped away from each other’s skin at the same moment.
With tender care, they licked the bite marks clean, watching as the wounds closed, leaving behind the silvery scars that would forever mark them as claimed, as mated, as one.
“I can feel you,” Ivy whispered in amazement, pressing a hand over her racing heart. “In my mind, my soul... everywhere.”
Henry gathered her close, larger frame curving protectively around her. “We’re one now,” he murmured into her hair. “Always.”