Page 24 of Hunny and the Bear (Bearly Yours #1)

Twenty Four

T here was a roaring in Tank’s ears as Hunny looked up at him, hope and love shining in her eyes as she asked, “Will you, Henry? Will you be my ma—”

Tank plucked her up into his arms, her small squeak of surprise muffled as he planted his lips on hers, his tongue invading her mouth as he moved to the stairs. She tasted sweet, and as he swallowed her soft moan of need, she tasted like his .

He wanted her, needed her more than anything else in this world. And he wouldn’t give her a chance to change her mind; Hunny was his forever. He’d felt it since he’d first drawn her scent into his lungs. He just hadn’t realized it then. But he did now, and he wouldn’t squander this opportunity.

As he fumbled his way up the stairs, Hunny ripped the towel off his shoulders, reaching for his shirt next and yanking it clumsily up and over his head. The cloth separated their lips for barely a second before he was crushing his mouth back to hers, tasting her again like a starved male finally given nourishment.

He wasn’t sure how they made it upstairs without him tripping over his own feet, but they did, and he moved straight for the bed, the urge to mate her dogging his every move. Making him desperate, needy.

Dropping her gently onto the bed, Tank tugged on the waistband of his jeans, nearly breaking the zipper in his haste to get the damned thing off. He couldn’t take his eyes off his little rabbit, his gaze riveted to Hunny as she grabbed the bottom of her shirt— his shirt that she liked to wear around his cabin like a nightgown—and lifted it, exposing the apex of her naked thighs.

Before she could take the material off, he ordered, “Don’t.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion, but that changed as soon as he stepped out of his jeans, his erection jutting out in front of him, precum already nestled on the tip. She’d kept him hard for damn near an hour, but soon enough, he’d have his relief.

Her eyes became heavy-lidded with desire as he stepped into her space, her hands automatically finding his hips and holding on. “I want to undress you, darlin’.”

Hunny swallowed thickly, moving her eyes slowly from his erection and up to his face, her expression filled with trust and a sensual hunger that had more pearly liquid dribbling onto his cockhead. “Okay,” she breathed.

Slowly, he grabbed the shirt she wore, pulling it over her head. Excitement knotted in his gut as he did so, like he was unwrapping the greatest gift he’d ever received. In a sense, he was. Dropping the material carelessly to the floor, he stared down at Hunny’s lovely body, his heart pounding and his mouth watering.

Her nipples were hard, the twin peaks practically begging for his kiss. His tongue. He couldn’t wait to see how they’d look in a few months, and distracted, he wondered if she’d let him have a taste when she started producing milk.

Was that perverted, that the thought of tasting her sweetness in every way made his dick ache more than ever? Probably, but he didn’t really give a fuck.

“What are you thinking?” Hunny asked quietly, a curious note in her voice. “Your scent … it’s stronger, but not just from lust. It’s almost like—”

“Do you know much about mating a bear shifter?” he asked huskily, planting his knee on the bed beside her. Immediately, she scooted back, getting more fully onto the mattress. He followed her, not stopping until she was flat on her back and he was looming over her, his hands roaming over her soft skin.

“No, I don’t know much of anything except we’re going to mark one another.” Hunny’s eyes moved to his neck, and she licked her lips, humming softly. “I know it’s different when it’s a chosen mate instead of a fated one, but regardless, a bond will form between us. We’ll eventually be able to sense each other’s emotions, even from a great distance.”

Tank nodded. “Bears differ from most other shifters. When we’re about to mate someone, chosen or fated, our scent thickens as it seeps from our pores.” He could smell his musk enhancing even now, and he slipped a hand over one of her breasts, fingers finding the stiff peak and pinching it.

Hunny gasped, her cheeks heating as she arched her back, pressing more firmly against his hand. “Why?”

“Because when I make you mine, when my teeth sink into your neck and mark you, my scent will linger afterward.” Cupping the underside of her breast, he bent down, licking her nipple. He popped it into his mouth, sucking hard as she whimpered beneath him.

Her hands fisted into his hair, pulling him in closer. “How long does your scent last on me?”

Regretfully, he released her nipple, blowing on the rosy tip before answering. “Forever, Hunny. Traces of my scent will always linger on your skin, so that any shifter you encounter knows who you belong to. Me ,” he declared heatedly, lifting his head and taking her mouth once more.

Hungry for her, Tank pinned her beneath him, careful of her tiny baby bump as he devoured her with his tongue. Grabbing her hips, he ground his erection against her, shuddering as pleasure whipped through him, demanding more, urging him to spread her pretty little thighs and take what belonged to him. And Hunny belonged to him. Every inch of her body, her heart, was his .

She returned his kiss just as eagerly, and he bucked his hips in surprise as she fisted his length, brushing his tip with her thumb and smearing his cum over the surface. Spreading her legs, Hunny tried to fit him against her entrance, but he pulled back, breathing hard as he looked down at her.

His female, his lover, his mate .

“Don’t make me beg for you to fill me,” Hunny whined, biting her lower lip as she gripped him harder, stroking him with a tight fist when he didn’t budge. Tank hissed out a strangled breath—the sound caught between a groan and a feral growl.

“If you keep this up, I won’t be able to go slow, little rabbit.” And he hadn’t even prepared her yet. “The pleasure from the mating bite is going to make this over with quick enough.” Although he’d never experienced it, he’d heard of it—how each partner was so overcome with pleasure from the claiming bite that it was impossible to last long.

“I don’t want slow. I want you .” Hunny wrapped her legs around his waist, his cock brushing against her soaked entrance. He groaned, sinking his tip into her tight, wet heat. His canines lengthened dangerously, his gums aching as he brought his mouth to her throat, kissing her soft skin.

Tilting her head to the side and exposing her neck just like the perfect little submissive she was, Hunny whispered, “Make me your mate, Henry. Claim me.”

A growl, more bear than man, erupted from him. He thrust forward, his cock shoving home right as his teeth pierced where her neck met her shoulder. Warm blood filled his mouth, and she cried out, her nails finding his back and scratching down his spine, leaving her own mark on him while he took her.

Tank was barely aware of his hips slamming against hers, flesh slapping together as pleasure assailed him, her hoarse, desperate cries ringing in his ears each time he pumped inside her. His teeth sank deeper, and his eyes rolled back into his head as she gripped his ass, rocking her own hips to meet each of his thrusts.

“Don’t stop, it feels so good! Harder, bite me harder!” Hunny whimpered, her nails piercing his skin as she clung on tighter. A shudder raced down his spine, and he picked up his pace, plunging into her over and over. “Henry! Yes! Just like that—” She threw her head back into the pillows as she orgasmed, her body stiffening as her pussy gripped him, spasming around his shaft until he nearly blacked out. His balls drew up, his own release seconds away.

Removing his teeth from her flesh, he licked over the bite mark, possessive satisfaction thrumming through his veins at the sight of it. It would never fade, a symbol to everyone that Hunny was a claimed female. His claimed female.

Unable to resist the temptation, Tank plundered her mouth with his tongue, each pump of his hips causing Hunny to moan raggedly, her thighs cradling him close to her body. He devoured those small sounds, filling her to the brim with all that he had, all that he was.

“Your turn, baby,” he murmured as he felt a familiar tingle start in his spine. He drank softly from her lips before angling his neck for her, his body coiled with anticipation.

Hunny looked up at him then, sending him a sated smile that threatened to steal his breath, her eyes drowsy with passion as she traced a spot at the base of his neck with her finger. “Here?”

Blood heating, and his cock twitching, Tank shook his head. “Higher,” he commanded huskily.

Her brows rose as her fingers moved a few inches up the side of his neck, so light that another tantalizing shudder raced through him, threatening to set him off. “Right here?”

“Can everyone see it there, even with a shirt on?” he asked through gritted teeth, his control threadbare. But he didn’t want to cum yet. He refused to fill her with his release until her teeth were sinking into him, claiming him like he’d claimed her.

“Yes.”

“Then I want it there, Hunny. I want everyone to know who I belong to.”

He steeled himself as she licked her lips, a possessive gleam in her eyes that matched what he felt in his heart. Cradling the back of his head, Hunny leaned forward, her mouth caressing his neck. His arms banded around her, holding her tightly to him as her teeth sank into his neck, marking him.

Ecstasy exploded within him, overriding the sting of pain, and his cock jerked inside her tight cunt. He fucked her hard into the mattress as the pressure from her teeth piercing his flesh amplified, driving him right over the edge. His pleasure skyrocketed until he was nothing but sensation, floating on an endless wave of euphoria. He never wanted it to end, but all too soon, his balls drew up, his release shooting from him in waves.

Spurts of his release filled her, and as she sucked on his neck, her moans vibrating against his skin, he felt her claim throughout his entire being, all the way into the darkest parts of his soul.

“Fuckin’ hell!” Tank exclaimed, rolling his hips as he pumped into her. He didn’t know how much longer he could go until his erection waned, but he didn’t care, fucking his cum deeper inside her hot sheath. If she hadn’t already been pregnant, he would have filled her to the brim, over and over again, until she was pregnant with his cubs.

“My mate,” Tank rasped, fisting her hair, holding her captive so her lips remained on his neck as his orgasm finally subsided. He collapsed into her then; all the strength had been zapped from him as she pulled her teeth free.

Nuzzling his cheek, Hunny murmured into his ear, “I love you, Henry.”

His heart stuttered in his chest as he rolled onto his back, taking her with him until she was lying on top of him like a blanket, his cock still nestled inside her. “I love you too, baby.” Fingers sifting through her hair, he kissed the crown of her head, peace washing through him as their mixed scents filled his lungs.

Several minutes passed before his eyes began to slide shut, sleep calling to him. Just before he could drift off, Hunny touched the scars along his throat. “How did it happen?” she asked softly.

“Bear fight,” he answered, instantly awake as distant memories plagued him.

Hunny sent him a haughty look. “I already know that. But why did you get into a fight with another bear? Was it someone from your clan, or a loner?”

Tank sighed heavily. “Years ago, when the old Alpha died, Murphy was the strongest among us, and almost everyone assumed he’d step up to take his rightful place. But another bear challenged him to become Alpha, and they fought.”

“What does that have to do with you?” she asked.

“The male he fought refused to submit, even though Murphy was clearly stronger.” And if a challenger didn’t submit, they either died in combat or accepted exile … “Every time Murphy let him up, Tyler attacked again, going for a killing blow even though their fight was rightfully over.”

Hunny sat up, resting her hand on his chest, subconsciously caressing his hair. She tilted her head to the side, and her hair slid from her shoulder, giving him a tantalizing view of her mating mark. Fuck, his bite looked good on her. “Murphy ended up killing him, didn’t he?”

“He had to,” Tank answered, wrapping his hand around her wrist. He massaged her pulse, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “At that time, Murphy was courting Tyler’s daughter, Sachi. He intended to mate her, but it’s hard to move on from something like that.”

“Well, yeah, I can only imagine.” Tank’s lips curled into a smile at her response, but it was hollow, and her eyes softened. “What happened after that?”

“She and her brother contacted some hunters. Paid them to take care of Murphy.”

Hunters were humans that knew of the supernatural world and tracked them down; killing, mutilating or selling them off to other depraved individuals.

“That freaking bitch ,” his mate seethed furiously. “I get being upset over the death of a parent, but Tyler lost his life in a challenge. Murphy tried to spare him!” Her breasts heaved with each breath she took, and her anger on his brother’s behalf was comforting in ways Tank had never realized he needed. He liked that she was protective of his family.

“Sachi led Murphy out into the middle of nowhere under false pretenses, and he was taken. By the time I realized what had happened, he’d been gone for hours. I had to kill Sachi’s brother in order to discover Murphy’s whereabouts, and when I did …” He trailed off, his throat clogging with emotion as he recalled the days it took to find Murphy and bring him home. The bloodshed, the dead look in Murphy’s eyes, the betrayal and defeat his eldest brother had felt. “There’s a reason Murphy hates humans,” Tank murmured, his voice now scratchy.

“Please tell me someone wiped the floor with Sachi.”

Tank shook his head. “She disappeared right after I killed her brother.”

“That’s who almost ripped out your throat, isn’t it? Her brother?” Tank nodded. “I’m glad you kicked his ass, Henry.”

“Did more to him than that. But he’s long gone now,” he reassured her, pulling her back down until she was cradled next to him Contentment filled him. “Go to sleep.”

“I have to fix your hair. It’s really messed up,” Hunny mumbled against his chest.

“Tomorrow, little rabbit.”

They’d deal with it tomorrow.