Bear Lake- Book Four (4 page)

“Thank
you baby, I feel so much better…” She mewed and as he lifted his head she gave
him a devilish smile.

He
eased his softening length from inside of her and froze at the sight of the blood
on his cock. His beast roared within him at the scent. His heart leapt into his
mouth.

“Fuck,
Alex. I’ve hurt the cub.” He growled.

Marcus
paced back and forth in the waiting room like a bear with a sore head. He could
have ripped his alpha’s head from his damn body when Jackson had come running
out of the cabin with Alex in his arms panicking like all hell and saying he’d
killed their cub.

On the
drive to the local doctor’s office as Alex lay in Jackson’s arms in the back of
Marcus’s truck; the whole story had come out, and now he just wanted to kill
anyone that got in his damn way.

He
couldn’t fault the man for what came naturally, and accidents happened no
matter how damn careful you were to control the beast… but the cub… Shit-
Jackson would never forgive himself if something happened to it.

It was
a clan affair. Everyone had climbed into their vehicles and sped after them.

Now
they were all crowded into the small waiting area, and you could have heard a
damn pin drop in the silence of that room. Every time the phone screamed out,
every male growled in unison, and he felt sorry for the tiny receptionist
behind the counter as she tried her damnedest to snatch it up fast.

“Hey…”
Jackson’s deep voice made every head turn in his direction. He noted the way
that Marcus had his hands fisted at his sides. “Relax, big man. She’s ok…”
Jackson assured him.

“And
the cub?” Marcus demanded on a breath of relief. Jackson nodded.

“The
doctor said the cub’s doing fine. It’s not abnormal for a woman to bleed in
pregnancy after sex, but we should…” He rolled his head on his neck and
shrugged his shoulders.

“Be
more damn careful.” Marcus growled at him.

“Yeah.”
Jackson felt like shit. He never should have given into his mate over this. Now
look where it had ended.

“You
wanna go ten rounds with something man, do it with your damn hand…” Marcus
growled again. He saw Jackson’s body tighten and heard the warning growl that
rolled through his chest, but the alpha let it slide. He knew how protective
they all were of Alex and the mates.

“No
fighting in here.” The clipped tones of the woman’s voice did something to
Marcus that he couldn’t explain. His bear calmed within him, and when his head
snapped around at that familiar voice; his eyes took her in.

“I wasn’t
going to…” Marcus rushed to explain, but she raised her eyebrows at him and he
deflated. “Sorry.” He growled.

“You
two know each other?” Jackson looked slightly amused, even with the tension
that was eating him up inside.

Marcus
opened his mouth to speak and then shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t his place
to say.

“Marcus
was good enough to help me out last night when my car broke down.” Janice said
and Marcus felt a sense of pride that she would own up to knowing him like
that. Her being a doctor and all. They didn’t need to know the rest.

“So no
sex?” Marcus wanted to change the subject but the way her head snapped up and
her eyes took him in; he thought he might just have screwed up.

“Excuse
me?” She swallowed hard. Wondered if she’d stared at him a little too long.

He’d
been all that she had thought about since he’d left her house that morning. Had
she given something away?

“Jackson
and Alex. Should refrain…?” Marcus liked the way the colour touched her cheeks
and her eyes widened. He’d like to see that as he lay over her naked body…
Damn… he grunted.

“Yes.
No. Yes, sex is fine in a few days. Just be a little easier.” She tried to get
a grip on herself. She would have used her hand to fan her face, but that would
have been a red flag if ever there was one.

“I
might be a little too big for her now…” Jackson leaned in and whispered.

“I
don’t think…” Janice didn’t want to go there, not with Marcus standing in front
of her eyeing her like that. She needed to be more professional…

Jackson
unzipped his fly and wrenched his jeans down over his hips; he wasn’t wearing
any underwear and her eyes dropped to what she knew she would see, partly out
of curiosity- these men were large, and shifters, and partly for purely medical
reasons.

“Put it
away man!” Marcus growled in disbelief.

Jackson
shrugged his shoulders. Even the damn receptionist was half out of her chair
eyeing him with curiosity.

“I’m
just getting the doctors opinion.” Jackson growled back. “You want I should
think of Alex and get a…?” Jackson motioned with his crocked finger upwards and
she chuckled. That sounded dirty to Marcus’s ears.

“No,
I’m good, thanks.” Janice motioned for him to pull up his jeans, and he did it with
a scowl. The receptionist sighed with disappointment that the doctor hadn’t
taken him up on that offer.

“Is it
too big, Doc?” Jackson asked as he folded his length back into his jeans to
sniggers from the gathered clan, and she chuckled again.

“I
always say it’s not the size that matters but what you do with it that counts.”

The
sound of Marcus’s deep laughter made her turn her eyes on him. For one of the
longest moments of his life her eyes dropped down to his length and he felt
every bit of blood in his body rush to that part of him. Her eyes widened at
the sight of the impressive bulge that was squished behind his jeans.

He had
to wonder if she was remembering that morning and the feel of his length
pressed against her body. He growled long and hard and she snapped her eyes
back up to his and managed to swallow down the lump in her throat.

“Just…”
She had to drag her eyes back to Jackson. “Go easy with her. She needs a little
bedrest, and I’ll give you my card- call me if there’s anything you’re unsure
of…”

“Oh,
no. You shouldn’t have gone there.” Shane chuckled from the seated section and
her eyes flicked towards the group.

“I
shouldn’t?” She smiled. What could be worse than being flashed in the reception
area of the surgery?

Marcus
felt his length twitch at the sound of her gentle laughter. What was with that?

“Nope.
He’ll be calling non-stop.” Suzanna chuckled.

“Alex
farted, is it ok?” Shane mimicked Jackson’s deep tone and his mate elbowed him
in the ribs, and Lucy had damn sharp elbows. He grunted at the stabbing pain.
Everyone chuckled.

“It’s
fine. I’m here if you need me.” She handed Jackson her card but her eyes had
flicked towards Marcus again.

“So, I
should take her home and not to the hospital?” Jackson frowned. He would have
gone straight there but it was miles away and the doctors was a lot closer.

“Take
her home and don’t smoother her. From what I’ve seen of Alex, she won’t
appreciate it. But bed rest and call me if anything changes.”

Janice
was back to business again, and that looked good on her. Marcus felt a sense of
pride in the woman that he’d spent the night with.

He
frowned at the thought of her, a doctor, being draped over his damn shoulder
like a sack of potatoes, not that she seemed to mind at the time, and waking up
to his big self in her bed. Damn, he should apologise…

“Can
you tell Alex to rest?” Jackson leaned in towards her and asked.

Marcus’s
warning growl had Jackson’s head snapping around and his eyes taking the big
man in to see what was up with him. He saw the glare from his eyes and moved
back away from the woman. Marcus calmed.

“Sure.”
Janice chuckled again and Marcus’s eyes snapped towards her once more. Jackson
grinned to himself. Oh, this was gonna be good.

~^~

Marcus
waited until dark to turn up at the house. He was hoping that the neighbours
wouldn’t see him arrive and tongues wouldn’t be wagging. She was the town
doctor and it wouldn’t do her any favours to be seen with a shifter.

When
she pulled open her front door and her scent rushed out at him, he sniffed long
and hard. His length hardened at the sight and scent of her.

She
opened her mouth to speak but he thrust the handful of flowers that he’d bought
from the local petrol station towards her, and she closed it again.

“I’m
sorry for last night. For today. For Jackson, and you being a doctor and all…”
Marcus got out what he wanted to say. So why wasn’t she taking his flowers?

“Me
being a doctor…? Sorry for…?” She looked confused and Marcus growled to
himself. Damn it, why couldn’t he be like everyone else?

“For
staying here the way I did…”

“Looking
after me, you mean?” She smiled and his heart raced.

“That’s…
yeah, but, you know?” Marcus growled to himself again. He felt like a damn cub,
and no woman had ever made him feel like that before, except his mother; what
he remembered of her.

“No. I
don’t know.”

Janice
reached out and wrapped her hand around the flowers that he offered her. Her
fingers brushed against his and he snapped his hand away as if she’d scalded
him. A low, deep rumble went through his chest and he scowled as he snapped it
off.

“You
wanna come in and explain it to me?” Janice didn’t wait for his reply. She
turned on her heels and walked away from him.

Marcus
looked around him. Up and down the street to see if anyone was watching. His
beast growled in annoyance. His bear liked her, hell. He liked her too.

He
muttered a curse as he followed her inside and closed the door on the world
behind him. At least in her house they could be a little more private, he
reasoned.

“You
want coffee, a beer, something to eat?” Janice asked over her shoulder, but
Marcus was already coming up behind her.

“No. I
wanted to apologise…”

“Yes,
but I don’t understand why.” Janice placed the flower in the sink and turned
back towards him. He looked as if he was standing on hot coals.

“For
you being a doctor…” Marcus growled. “That didn’t come out right.” He shook his
head.

“I know
medicine. I’m not a saint or a nun, Marcus.” She chuckled again.

“Yeah,
but people talk…”

“Let
them talk. You helped me out last night, and you picked me up when I lay face
down in the gutter…”

“It was
on the grass…” He corrected her and she chuckled again.

Damn,
that was one hell of a dirty laugh that she had. It made his length twitch like
he’d shoved it into an electrical socket. Not that he’d ever done that…

“You
looked after me when I was drunk out of my mind…”

“I
couldn’t leave you alone in case you fell out of the damn bed again.” Marcus
reasoned.

“There
you go then.” She exclaimed. “We both care about people. What’s there to
apologise for?”

He was
damned if he knew. The woman was confusing him and his brain was half on the
fact that he was trying to get his cock to soften. It didn’t seem to want to do
that when she was around.

“I
don’t know…” He growled out as he shook his head again. “I should go, people
might have seen me come here…” Marcus took a step back from her. It was harder
to take the second step.

“Have a
beer. I have curtain twitchers for neighbours anyway. But I don’t care. We’re
friends, right?” Janice shrugged her shoulders and Marcus felt the rush of
disappointment within him.

Friends.
Sure, he could be her friend. But he damn well wanted to be more.

He’d
had this image in his mind of her in his arms in bed, his hand brushing over
her naked skin around her hip, his fingers finding her wet for him, and sinking
his cock into her from behind as she whispered his name on her lips…

That
was a potent daydream that he couldn’t shake. It was the one that he’d jerked
off too, twice this morning, and three damn times before he got up the courage
to come and see her.

“Sure.
Friends.” Marcus nodded.

“Beers
in the fridge, get me one, would you?” There was amusement within her green
eyes.

His
woman had made a request and he turned on his heels and yanked open the door to
the refrigerator before that thought hit him hard…

His
woman? Where the hell did that come from? She wasn’t his…

His
bear growled deep within him, and he frowned hard. Damn it, she couldn’t be his
mate? She was a doctor…

“I…
should leave.” Marcus tossed the door closed and the sound of bottles rattling
inside followed hard on his heels as he stalked out of the room without looking
at her again.

“Marcus?”
The sound of her feet on the hardwood floor echoed inside of his mind as she
came after him. His beast growled and rallied within, and he had to stop and
bite down hard on his control.

Her
hand touched his arm and he tensed hard at the feel of her skin against his.
His beast rallied and he spun around towards her; one solid arm going around
her back as he crushed her breasts against his chest and brought his lips down
on hers. The need to taste her on his tongue was like a fire in his veins.

One
hand fisted her hair and dragged her head back on her neck and demanded that
she open for him. She did. His beast roared the moment that his tongue met
hers. She tasted like heaven.

Marcus
growled deep within his chest. His need was great. His cock twitched and ached
like a deep wound.

The
feel of her hands as she palmed the hard ridges of his chest made him long for
skin against skin. He wanted to wrap his body around hers the way he had when
they’d slept together the night before, but this time he needed to do it naked.

He
could feel her melting against him. He reached down with one hand and cupped
her ass; lifting her up his body as her legs wrapped around his hips, and he
pressed his hard cock against her sex and got the moan deep within her throat
that he was looking for.

He
moved his hips and rubbed his sheathed length over her clit. Her hips moved of
their own volition, searching; needing him as much as he needed her.

Fuck,
he was in heaven and hell at the same time. One foot in both doorways, and that
wasn’t a good place to be.

He
wanted to fuck her like a damn wild beast and love her slow and tender all at
once… and yet… this was Janice.

This
was the woman who had taken care of Alex today.

She was
a damn doctor, a pillar of the community. He had no business being with her,
tarnishing her with his shifter body…

He
broke the kiss and looked down at her flushed face. Eyes closed, with a
somewhat dazed look to her as if she didn’t know quite what was happening.

He knew
alright- she didn’t need to be told.

It
killed him to do it, but he slowly released her back down to her feet. She
swayed and he stabilised her with his big hands on her hips. He hated himself
more than she would ever know.

“I’m
not what you want or need. I’m not good for you…” Marcus growled out.

One
moment he was there and the next he was gone. The front door stood open and the
sound of an engine roaring to life made her snap out of it. She reached up and
touched her lips with her fingertips…

Had
that just happened or was she daydreaming again? She’d sworn off men, but then
Marcus wasn’t exactly a man- he was… different in every way that she could ever
have imagined.

“Fuck.”
She muttered as she made her weakened legs work.

Reaching
out and slamming the door closed in front of her; she stood there staring at
the window, willing him back. Willing his large frame to block out the whole
damn window with those big, muscled shoulders of his…

“Double
fuck.” She turned her back to the wall and let it take her weight.

The man
was… amazing. He’d rekindled something deep within her that had been missing
for so long. The fire that raged through her blood, the way her womb was
dancing inside of her… she was hornier than hell. It might not have been a
medical term, and yet it was so damn fitting.

~^~

“Why do
you look like someone stole your teddy bear?” Chance eyed Marcus as the big man
sat alone at the edge of the fire pit and wrung his hands together.

He’d
thought of nothing but what had happened with him and Janice since the night
before. He couldn’t sleep. He’d stroked himself off so many damn times to that
memory that he was in danger of growing those hairy palms that mothers warn
their sons about.

He
didn’t want to eat, even if the scent of the steaks cooking over the open
flames were making his stomach growl like his bear within him. Damn, he was one
fucked up bear.

He
needed to go out and screw half the bar on Friday night just to get over the
feeling of being constantly aroused at the thought of his woman. He wasn’t
looking forward to it. Those bear baits with their shorter than hell skirts and
their breasts heaving for his cock.

He
really had it bad. But then she was his mate, he guessed he couldn’t expect
anything less.

What if
he never wanted sex again?

What if
he couldn’t get it up around another female?

What if
his bear pushed forward and never left him?

Fuck.
That was bad. He needed to talk to Jackson, make him aware of what was going
on, because if he shifted into his beast and went on a damn rampage…

“Not
now, Chance.” He growled a warning.

“Something
bugging you, Marcus?” Shane offered from the other side of the fire pit. The long
assed barbecue fork held out in front of him as he grinned like an idiot.

“Yeah, Chance.”
Marcus growled again.

He
shouldn’t be doing this. He wasn’t good company. He didn’t want to upset the
female mates if he lost it with Chance or one of the others. Alex’s voice
called to his soft side, as it always did.

“Marcus,
you need to tell her how you feel.”

He
froze in place and stared hard at the ground. Wonderful. They all knew. At
least he didn’t need that talk with Jackson after all.

“Not
happening, Alex.” Marcus growled out over his left shoulder.

“Why?
Because from the look in her eye she was way into you.” Alex offered and Marcus
scowled harder.

“She’s
too good for me, Alex…” He shot a look back at her over his shoulder and noted
her scowl.