A Lamb for the Bear's Appetite (9 page)

Chapter Nine

The sound of a cupboard slamming shut was what initially woke Olive, but the smell of bacon and eggs and then her belly cramping painfully, were what really roused her. She pushed herself up in bed, looked around until her mind caught up with her body, and the memories of what had happened last night finally slammed back in place. The small clock on the wall by the door told her it was already one in the afternoon.
Shit
. She had slept the whole afternoon away. She scrambled off the bed and nearly ran to the door, needing to check on Holden, but as soon as she gripped the handle the door swung open and she nearly ran right into the hard, wide chest of Liam Dakota. Craning her neck back so she could look in his face, she was greeted with a lopsided grin.

“Heard you stumbling around in here.”
She offered him a quick smile, but she found herself looking around his shoulder at the partially opened door that her brother was behind. “He actually woke up a little bit ago, but ordered me to not wake you because you needed your rest.” There was humor in his voice, and she could only imagine her brother ordering this polar bear shifter to do anything. For one thing, Liam was double the size of her brother, and that was saying something since Holden was big for their breed.

Her heart started to beat fast, and although she didn’t want to seem rude, she couldn’t help mumbling her thanks and all but rushing to Holden’s room. She heard Liam chuckle behind her and was thankful he hadn’t taken offense. When she reached the door she slowed and grabbed the handle, and then pushed it open. Holden was still in bed, but awake and staring at the ceiling. For several seconds she didn’t do anything but watch his chest rise and fall. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that she was actually seeing Holden awake and on the mend.

“Are you going to come in or just watch me like some kind of overprotective Momma Bear?”

Olive let her smile spread across her face and had her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her face buried in his chest seconds later.

“I’m going to be an overprotective Momma Bear.”

Holden wrapped his arms around her, and for a long time all they did was hold each other. The scent of the infection she had smelled just last night had lessened, and for the first time she breathed out in relief. She wasn’t going to lose him after everything they had been through. When Olive finally pulled away it was to have Holden brush away the tears that had started to fall down her cheeks. “I am so happy to see you up. You have no idea how worried I was, Holden. I thought I had lost you when we had finally gotten free of Trent, or the drugs … or everything.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Do you remember anything, of how we got here?”

“I don’t really remember much of anything after that guard got me out of the cell and took me to you. Everything was hazy and dreamlike.” She heard her brother swallow and saw his throat work from the act. “What about Trent? Surely he’ll come after us.” She opened her mouth to tell him about the explosion when there was a knock on the door. She looked over her shoulder right as Liam pushed it open. “Sorry, but you guys need to see this.” He picked up a remote that was on the dresser and pointed it at the TV that hung on the wall. The television clicked on, and after he found the channel he wanted she watched in horror at the scene playing right in front of her.

“The explosion that destroyed the multi-million dollar home owned by the entrepreneur Trent Sharpe has rocked the town of Kashton. There are no official reports in yet, but authorities say it may have been caused intentionally due to Mr. Sharpe’s affiliations. Officials are saying that there are no survivors, as they found the remains of more than thirty individuals inside and around the property. They also believe one of those bodies to be that of Mr. Sharpe, but there is no definitive confirmation as of yet.”

Liam shut the TV off and turned back around to face them. “I have
Maverick
looking into whether or not the leopard is dead. He has connections with some of the law enforcement in the surrounding areas, but we probably won’t know for a few days, at least not until they finish checking the remains.” Liam kept his green stare trained on her, and although this whole thing scared the shit out of her, Liam had everything under control, and she had never felt safer than knowing she was with this male.
 

“Holden, are you up to eating?” Liam addressed her brother, and she turned her attention back to him and saw how exhausted he suddenly looked.

“Not really. I think I’d like to try and get some more sleep.” She didn’t want to leave Holden’s side, but he needed all the rest he could get. Leaning down and kissing him on the forehead, she straightened and brushed a lock of blond hair from his forehead. “I’ll be fine, Olive.”

The self-hatred reflected in her brother’s eyes was tangible, and she wanted to tell him that blaming himself for everything that happened wouldn’t make anything better. What was done was done. There was no going back, and all she wanted to do was move forward. Once she and Liam were out of the room and the door was shut, she stood there and tried not to let her thoughts of everything that happened over the past twelve hours consume her
..
Liam moved away from her, and she lifted her attention to him and saw he was behind the breakfast bar in the kitchen.
 
His back was to her, but even through his t-shirt she saw the muscles that were hard and bunched right beneath the thin material. He looked over his shoulder at her, but there wasn’t any warmth behind those emerald eyes. He was thinking about what had been on the television.

Liam turned back around and said, “I know you have to be hungry.” Her stomach chose that moment to let out a growl, and she hear him chuckle softly. “
It’s
past breakfast, but I’m a sucker for pancakes and sausage links for lunch and dinner.” He turned around with a frying pan in one hand and gestured with his other to the small table. Olive just now noticed it was set with a carafe of orange juice, a plate of biscuits, butter and jelly, and an array of other breakfast items. The last time she had eaten was yesterday
morning ,
but with the chaos of the escape and everything with Holden, food had been the last thing on her mind. Now that things had settled down she was starving.

She took an empty seat and scanned over the pancakes, bacon, and sausage, and thought to herself that there was enough food to feed an army. As if Liam read her mind, or maybe her thoughts had been easily projected on her face, he answered her.

“I tend to have a pretty healthy appetite.” He walked up to her and scooped out some of the scrambled eggs that were in the frying pan onto her plate, and then did the same to one of the other empty plates. Once he had the pan in the sink and was sitting on the seat across from her, silence stretched out between them. “Go on, eat up. I don’t want you wasting away.” He slowly looked down at her chest, and her face heated, not from embarrassment but from her increasing arousal inside of her. “I like that you’re not all skin and bones, but have curves that make me think…” He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. Seconds ticked by, but when he lifted his eyes o hers once more he grinned, all straight white teeth. “Like I said, I have a very healthy appetite.” With a wink he started grabbing a hearty amount of food and placing it on her plate. She should have told him about portion control, that a female needed to watch her weight and all that, but she knew it wouldn’t have done any good. Besides, Olive had never watched what she had eaten. She was thick and rounded, but she had always loved the way she looked, and it seemed her mate did as well. A gush of wetness spilled from her at the thought of just how hearty this male could be if he was really hungry. He stopped what he was doing, but kept his eyes fixed on the table. There was no doubt he could smell her wetness, but he didn’t call her out on it. He inhaled deeply once more, let out a deep, very aroused growl, and then seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in. Once he was satisfied with what he placed in front of her, he started piling food on his plate and slathered it all in maple syrup. The sexual tension that had been bouncing between them since they had first met lessened enough to where things grew more at ease. Watching him eat shouldn’t have been arousing, but seeing a male that clearly took care of his body and worked out, feeding his animal appetite, had that damn desire that she thought she had reined in, coiling tighter and tighter inside of her. She was crazy, she had to be, and she quickly looked down at her food so she didn’t draw attention to herself. But by the low chuckle that came from Liam, and she felt his stare on her as if it were an actual touch, Olive knew he was very aware of right where her thoughts were.

She started eating and after a few minutes forced herself to relax. It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable with this male, but her emotions and the mating hormones were already running high, and the pull of being so close to her mate had Olive feeling unbalanced. She ate nearly half of the food he had put on her plate, and pushed it away once she was finished.

He had finished everything on his plate and had even gone back for seconds. He leaned back in his seat and kicked out one of his legs. He had one arm propped on the table and the other resting over the back of the chair. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, just Liam staring at her with that ever-present smirk, and her body refusing to stay cooled in his presence. He cleared his throat, but she watched as his smile grew. “I’m not making you feel uncomfortable, am I?” Yeah, he was, but she couldn’t really say it was a bad thing. Olive felt alive being with Liam. “Maybe later I can show you the pond. Candace and my dad are getting ready to close it down for winter, but it’s still running.”

“Pond?”

He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I figure you need some fresh air, and the scenery is pretty gorgeous.” He had heat behind his eyes, and her whole body tingled because of it. “Candace, my dad’s mate, brought down some of her clothes. Hopefully they fit, but I’ll take you into town to grab some things so you have your own things to wear. We can get some stuff for your brother, too.” Her heart clenched at the fact Liam included her brother in their plans. Even though Holden obviously couldn’t go anywhere right now, her mate was a considerate male. “That is, if you’re up to it.” She didn’t know how she felt being out in the open so soon after everything that happened, but she also couldn’t deny that if there was one male she felt most safe with, it was the one sitting right across from her.

“Okay. I’d really like that, Liam.”

He slowly nodded, but there was a lot more he was saying without really speaking any words.

“If you want you can go take a shower. I put the clothes on your bed.” He stood, grabbed his plate, and when she took hold of her dirty dishes and stood, he placed his hand right over hers, stopping her. She looked into his eyes, felt herself melting, and knew that if she wasn’t careful she could easily fall for this male hard. But Olive couldn’t deny that the thought of fully giving herself to Liam was the most pleasurable feeling she had felt in a very long time.

Chapter Ten

After Olive had taken a shower and put on the clothes that Liam had placed on her bed, she had felt like a new woman, well, as new as one could feel given the situation. Liam had taken her into town, and although she had felt on edge every step of the way, she couldn’t deny that every time he placed his hand on her lower back and guided her into each store, she felt a little safer. There was just something about him that calmed her, and after only knowing this male for a few days, and several times of actually trying to push him away, she was wishing that things didn’t have to end up the way they did. For one thing, she liked his company, his strange yet charming sense of humor, and the fact that at only twenty-four he was more mature than most males his age. He had old eyes, as if he had seen far too many things for his age. But despite how safe she felt, until she knew for certain that Trent was dead she would always feel as if she stood on a ledge. Luke had come by to check on Holden again and was surprised and pleased that his recovery was going smoother than he had anticipated. The cougar shifting physician told them he’d stay with her brother, help him eat something so his stomach settled, and told them to get some fresh air. It was a nice offer, and one she had accepted, especially when Holden all but ordered her to leave.

Even when Holden became healed, and they could finally start their lives over once more, her brother’s drawbacks and the darkness that had claimed him at one time were still a powerful influence. Holden was a strong male, one of the strongest that she had ever met, but temptation was a nasty bitch, and even the strongest sometimes succumbed to it. They would just have to take this one day at a time, and she would be hoping for a better outcome than the one they had been dealt.

So now she and Liam walked on the small, almost intimate path through the forest surrounding his father’s house, and the silence that stretched between them was very comfortable. The sound of birds singing in the background and the smell of nature around
them,
could have had Olive picturing her life very differently, but reality was reality. She couldn’t help but wonder how she could have a stable life with Liam when her life was anything but. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking?” They had been walking for the last five minutes, and this was the first time he had said anything. She looked over at him, but he had his focus on the path before them. The fact a muscle under his jaw ticked added to the scent of his anger told her that he knew what she was thinking. He couldn’t read minds obviously, but being his mate it was clear she really was shit had hiding her emotions. He stopped, which had her doing the same, and turned so he now faced her. “Go on,
Olive,
tell me what’s on your mind.” His voice was low, and he kept his tone bland and without the anger she knew was inside of him. He seemed to be the master of keeping a stoic, unaffected appearance.

“I just wonder how this will work out between us.” The sound of him grinding his teeth pierced the gentle sounds of the wildlife surrounding them.

“Do you want me, Olive?”

Olive stared into his ruggedly handsome face. He was just so untamed. His dark hair had this slightly disheveled appearance to it, and his eyes seemed much brighter and greener than she had ever seen them. His animal was not in the mix this time. “You know I do.” The words were low when she said them, but she couldn’t help it. He affected her on a deeply primitive level, and whenever she was around him she felt so helpless, but in a very good way.

He lowered his head so he was staring at the ground, and lifted his hand to run it through his short black hair. She was drawn to the sight of his bicep flexing. He lifted his head and stared at her once more. He took a step toward her, and she found herself taking a step back, seeing that his bear was no longer hiding deep inside of this male, but was coming forward and making its presence known. “You want me, and I sure as fuck want you.” He kept his eyes trained right on her. Olive felt the tree behind her and pressed her back against it. The bark was rough and pierced her thin t-shirt, and although maybe she should have felt apprehension over the fact this male, her
mate
, was on edge, possibly because he thought she might be able to walk away from him, all she felt was the answering call of her desire. Her pussy became wet, unbelievably so, and the tightening of her nipples bordered on painful. He took another step closer until his chest pressed against hers, and every inhalation she took caused her breasts to press more firmly into his hard, muscular chest. When he lowered his head so his mouth was right beside her ear, Olive curled her nails into her palms, sucked in a great lungful of air, and held her breath. His scent overwhelmed her, and all she wanted to do was push everything else aside and take control of her emotions, give herself up to him, and worry about the rest later. That couldn’t be so bad, right? Being with her mate seemed like it would solve all over the problems in the world.

“You want to be with me, but I can also see the fact you are thinking of leaving when all of this is said and done.” His warm breath teased the tendrils of hair that had fallen out of her pony tail. “And even though your mind thinks that is the safe thing to do, that you would be protecting everyone by leaving, your body says something entirely different.” He slammed his hand on the trunk right beside her head with so much force that pieces of bark rained down. “I can smell how much your body craves mine. You’re wet right now, so fucking wet that I bet your panties are soaked. Go on, Olive, tell me how fucking juicy that pussy of yours is for me.”

Olive closed her eyes, trying to get her thoughts and body under control, but it was no use, especially with Liam so close to her. “You already know the answer to that.” She opened her eyes and took a steadying breath.

“Then why are you trying so hard to deny what is happening to us?”

Every part of her body tingled. His natural scent mixed with the light aromas of the cologne he wore, and a small mewling moan left her. Every cell in her body bounced around, slammed into each other and made all common sense and voluntary actions near to impossible for her to grasp. “Because it would be safer for everyone if I just left Sweet Water.” Her pulse pounded, her blood rushed, and her clit throbbed.

A hard looked moved across his
face,
and those deeply gorgeous green eyes of his turned black from the power of his polar bear making its presence known to her. “You will not leave Sweet
Water,
and you sure as fuck will not leave me.” His voice was so guttural, so animalistic, that she knew at this moment it was his animal that was addressing her. “Just give in, Olive, let me show you how fucking
good
it’ll be.” The feel of him dragging his tongue along the shell of her ear had her eyes closing once more and a shiver racing up her spine. “I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want, but, Olive, I damn well know you want me.” He ground his erection into her belly, and a gasp left her.

Things were going so fast that her mind reeled, but the words to tell him to stop wouldn’t form. But there was no way in hell she could stop this, even if she truly wanted him to. She needed his touch as much as she needed the next breath of air. The alphaness that came from him was like a powerful tsunami. Olive found some strength and lifted her hands, but as soon as she placed them on his hard
pecs
, not knowing if she intended on pushing him away or pulling him closer, she melted against him even further. His muscles flexed right below her palms, and a fresh gush of cream left her. He pressed his hard cock into her again and again, and her mouth went dry as a soft cry left her.

“We should stop. We can’t possibly do this right here, right now, and out in the open. What if someone sees us?” But even as the words spilled from her, she knew she didn’t mean a damn one of them. It was as if she was trying to be reasonable, trying to use good judgment, but she didn’t want any of this to stop.
“God.”
A gasp left her at the very large erection he continued to thrust against her stomach. “Just forget about what I said. Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.” She swallowed, trying to get enough saliva in her throat so it didn’t feel like cotton was lodged in there.

He twisted his hips slightly, letting her feel exactly how big he really was between his legs. God, his cock had to be as thick as her wrist, but Liam was a big guy all around, so the fact he was
extremely
well endowed wasn’t a surprise. The images of what it would feel like to have him sliding inside of her slammed into her brain.

“I could take you right now, Olive, and you’d let me, wouldn’t you?” He ran his tongue up the length of her neck. “Yeah, you’d let me, because you are just as far gone with this mating as I am.” The sound of his claws retracting and digging into the bark beside her head didn’t even douse the fire burning inside of her. “You have no idea what I want to do to you. I might even frighten you if I said exactly what is going through my head right now, baby.” He cupped the side of her face, and right when she realized what was happening he had his mouth on hers and his tongue passed the seam of her lips. The flavor of him exploded against her taste buds, and she found her hands speared into his hair and tugging forcefully at the strands. He grunted, and a concentrated shot of his lust slammed into her nose, making her open her mouth wider and deepening the kiss. Their combined harsh breathing, coupled with the sound of her moaning and him grunting in an almost animalistic way had Olive wanting nothing more than to tear each other’s clothes off and get fucked by her mate right against this tree.

He broke the kiss and started licking her throat, up and down, up and down, until she found herself reaching between their bodies and pressing her hand against his erection. He growled right beside her ear, a purely alpha male sound. “You could, Liam, God, you so could.”

“I could do what, baby?” He never stopped licking her, and she knew why he did it. He wanted his scent covering her, wanted anyone that was within smelling distance of her to know that she was his, and the repercussions for messing with her would be in the form of his bear emerging and tearing shit up.
 
By the prick of his claws gently digging into the skin at her neck, she knew that he was close to shifting.

“You could have me, Liam. Oh, God. I want you to have me.
Right now.”

He growled low and deep, and so forcefully that she felt the vibrations in every part of her body. Just as he reached between their bodies, his fingers brushing along hers, he said, “I want this, too, but I’ not about to take my mate up against a tree.” He leaned back and looked at her in the eyes. “When I slide my cock deep inside of your body, Olive, it is going to be in a bed with you beneath me, surrendering every part of yourself to your mate.”