Bear's Gold (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) (3 page)

“Can I trouble you one more time to
use your bathroom so I can wash some of this dirt off of me?”

“No trouble.” He almost didn’t want
to allow her to use his bathroom. The rich forest scent on her provided a cloak
around her, masking her natural scent. He needed all the barriers possible
between him and her.

They journeyed up his stairs where
he pointed her to the bathroom door and said, “I’ll be right back.” He moved past
the door where his sons were snuggled under the blankets in the twin beds while
their night light cast star shapes on their ceiling. Moving on, he walked into
his room at the end of the hall. Not using a light, he walked to his dresser
and removed a t-shirt and sweatpants with a drawstring. She was tall and
slender, but he hadn’t missed the fullness of her hips and thighs in her
slacks. Not anywhere near his size, but he hoped if she tied the string tight
enough they would work.

Coming out of the room, he went back
to the bathroom where he found her standing in front of the mirror picking
twigs and leaves from her hair. Occasionally a sigh or whimper came out,
showing her personal disgust in her appearance. She’d already removed her
jacket and the pink button down top she wore below it also had mud around the
cuff and the v-neck collar.

“Here you go. There are clean towels
and wash cloths in the closet behind the door.”

Taking the clothes, she clutched
them to her chest like they were designer originals, smiled and said. “I’ll
only be a second.”

“Take your time and feel free to use
anything you find.”

“I appreciate it.”

Once the door was closed, he went
back downstairs and out the back door. The earlier rain had left the heady
scent of pine and earth in the air, nature. He loved it. Inhaling deeply, he
stared up at the waning moon. The First Frost Moon would arrive by the end of
the week; the fall festival was the last big event in the county until spring
and the Fish Moon Harvest.

Last year he’d attended the
festival, but by their custom, he’d stayed away from the evening events. However,
this would be the first time since his wife’s death three years ago that he
would participate. The excitement and expectation of what was coming had to be the
reason why tonight he felt like he was losing his mind.

It was true that all the single
adults in Den County would be feeling out of sorts at this time as the First
Frost Moon drew near, but tonight for him was like madness in his blood. He’d
never experienced a reaction so intense before. That was the reason why he'd
gone out for a run this evening after his boys went to sleep. He enjoyed
running in the rain and feeling the heavens shower down on him in the natural
elements.

Riley
. His mind called out.

He hadn’t seen the accident, but on
his way back to his home, he’d seen the light from her cell phone and had been
drawn to it, curious. When he’d drawn close enough to see the stranger walking
through his woods, the urges he’d had earlier in the night seemed mild in
comparison to the full assault on his senses. Everything around him became more
intense: sight, hearing, texture and scents. However, that seemed insane to
him. This woman, a stranger to Den, could not be responsible for his heighten
state. Tomorrow he’d find a way to get her out of the county.

Turning around, he went back into
his house.

Chapter
Two

Riley finished drying her body off.
She had hoped that once she’d washed off the grime covering her body she would
start to feel more like herself. Especially having a warm secure place to sleep
for the night instead of her cold car, but that wasn’t the case. The accident
had left her feeling unsettled, but nothing compared to the reaction her body
had been having since the moment she realized something was behind her. The
reason she decided it was better to stay here than try to make it back to her
car with something wild outside. Even now, those same feelings: racing heart, hot
flashes and itchy skin as if she’d come in contact with something still plagued
her in Theo’s house. However, it didn’t give her the urge to scratch herself,
more like the desire to rub against something.

Or someone. Her body screamed. Of
course if she listened to her desire then she’d find herself rubbing up against
the massive body of Mr. Theo Kodiak. If she stood five- ten then he had to be
at least six-eight or taller with shoulders almost as wide as a tree. But bulk
didn’t mean fat, because she would have to be blind not to notice the delicious
bare chest he had no shame in displaying for her. She’d never known a man who
was sculpted so fine.

The man was a sensual beast, an
appetizing feast to the eyes. She’d never had a thing for men with beards, all
of her exes kept their faces smooth, but thinking of Mr. Kodiak, she could not
imagine him differently. She liked his rugged viral look. Chocolate brown hair
and eyes so dark they appeared black every time he looked directly at her. But,
no one’s eyes were black. They had to be dark brown like his thick hair that
hung slightly unruly around his face. If the situation were different and maybe
they’d met in Oregon, she would’ve looked forward to the opportunity to bury
her hands deep in his hair.

Everything about the man was sexy.
She’d even noticed that the hair on the back of his right hand was stark white.
The odd coloring had fascinated her. Theo was an interesting man in many ways.

The steam in the bathroom was
dissipating but it wasn’t doing anything for the heat surrounding her body. She
needed to get out of the room before she passed out. Her hair that hung in wet
waves around her shoulders, but in the morning, it would be a dry rat’s nest. At
least it would be clean. Lifting the towel, she used the towel to wipe down the
mirror. Taking a quick look at her reflection, she was happy to see that the
remnants of Mother Nature were down the drain instead of still stuck to her
body. She was sure Theo had believed her to be a lunatic arriving at his door
in such a physical and mental state. Once she got to town tomorrow, she would
figure out what to do about her car situation. Maybe there was a rental place
if nothing else.

Quickly pulling the 3XL t-shirt over
her head, she then grabbed the sweatpants from the counter where she had them
resting. Stepping into them, she dragged them up to her waist and immediately
noticed the wide width of the waistband. Even after she tightened the drawstring,
they still hung baggy around her legs, bunched up around her feet like elephant
ankles and dangled so low on her hips that they threatened to fall off her
backside with every move. Frustrated, she easily yanked them down her hips
without untying them, proving that they were barely up anyway. Stepping out of
them, she looked down at her legs and was thankful that Theo’s t-shirt was long
enough to cover her to mid-thighs. She reminded herself that she only needed to
sleep in it then in the morning she could put her clothes back on. Another
check in the mirror showed her that she appeared more lost in the oversized
shirt than she did sexy, so she should not be concerned that she would move
Theo to lust.

Gathering up her clothing and shoes
from the floor, she exited the bathroom before she lost her nerve.  

“Feeling better?” Theo asked from
the base of the steps when she came out. Still shirtless and still hot as hell.

“Yes, much better.” Standing at the
top landing, she looked down the stairs at him and wondered how the steps
between them could seem like too many and not enough at the same time.

His eyes moved from her face, past the
bundle in her arms to her legs making her feel naked. She had to remind herself
that she owned dresses and skirts that were shorter than the shirt and she’d
never paused for a moment before putting it on to go to the club with her
friends.

“The pants were too big,” she
informed him.

“Figured as much.” Returning his
gaze to her face, he said, “When you’re ready to come down I’ll give you the
not so grand tour of the kitchen and the laundry room.”

He was probably being polite because
she was still hanging around at the top like an idiot. She slowly descended,
closing the gap between them.

“Are you hungry?” he asked when she
was three steps above him, finally on eye level with him. His voice was so deep
it almost seemed to rumble, filling the house and making her insides quake.

For a moment, she thought she
noticed his breathing pick up, but then it was gone and the rise and fall of
his chest appeared normal. As she stared into his eyes, she tried to locate a
hint of brown, even the outer ring, but only saw soulful onyx eyes staring back
at her. The tremors she experienced earlier were starting again. “No. I stopped
shortly before crossing the California border and had dinner.”

He nodded and turned abruptly and
walked away.

She had no other choice but to
follow him. He walked past the door to her room, his bare feet slightly moving
across the hardwood flooring; unlike her own that slapped loudly behind him.
Embarrassed she started to tiptoe.

How did such a big man move so
quiet? she wondered.

“I still have to pick up a few items
from town tomorrow for my winter stock, but for the most part anything you need
you should be able to find in the refrigerator or the pantry.” He pointed to a
door on the other side of the stove.

One thing she noticed was that for
such a primitive living, sans cell phones and internet connection, his kitchen
was premium. Dark cherry wood cabinets, granite countertops, and a flat range
stove. Every amenity and appliance was in the kitchen: microwave, high quality
blender, single cup coffee maker and even a bread maker. The kitchen was large
enough to have a six person table at the other end made in the same wood as the
cabinets.

“Wow, this kitchen is amazing.” She
kept turning in circles in the middle of it. Cooking may have been something
she enjoyed doing, but she’d never even thought about making bread from
scratch. “Do you use all of these appliances or are they just for show?” She
looked over her shoulder as she joked with him.

He was leaning against the door
frame leading to what she would guess was the laundry room. “Most men in Den
cook well. We all have pretty hearty appetites. If you stayed around for the
festival during this week you’d see for yourself.”

She wasn’t sure if that was an
invitation or not. Choosing not to respond to it, she walked toward him. “Is
the washer and dryer in there?”

Stepping aside, he turned on the
light and allowed her to enter. She noticed that the area also doubled as a
place where the family kept their shoes and coats. Evidently, they used the
back door instead of the front. There was a window in the door, but there wasn’t
an ounce of light in the back to allow her to see what was back there. It just
reflected her and the man beside her, who seemed to fill up most of the small
room.

“You can put your clothes in it now
and if you use the cold delicate, you can wash your jacket too.”

“It won’t make too much noise?” She
always used the laundry facilities in her apartments and her friend that she
stayed with after that had an older model washer that was too loud to run after
a certain time at night.

“Not at all.”

Placing her clothes inside, she
adjusted the temperature and added the detergent to it. Once it started, she
faced him. He hadn’t moved from his position at the door. His gaze was intense
as he stared at her as if he were looking into her soul. The look made her
heart rate kick up. It began to beat faster, as if she had just run the woods
again.

Now that she no longer had her muddy
clothes in her arms, there was nothing to distract her from the scent of him. For
a moment, his smell reminded her of the mud that had clung to her clothing;
damp soil after a fresh rain. She was unable to keep herself from inhaling
deeply like he had become the keeper of her air and she needed it. It was then
that she realized that there was a difference to his essence than just dirt.
Theo’s scent was earthy, no doubt about that, but it made her think of being
wild and free and there was an overlaying hint of spice and red blooded male.
Not from a bottled liquid, but something that was robust, naturally masculine.
The mud had made her want to bathe and be clean, but Theo made her want to
close the gap between them and wrap her body around him.

Two things assailed her at the same
time, she felt compelled to step forward and the tight prickly feeling was back
to her skin. In some buried recess inside her, she recognized that Theo and
only Theo could soothe and satisfy her body’s needs.

One of her feet slid a few
millimeters forward, barely moving her… But he must have noticed, because she
saw his nostrils flare, gold flakes sparkled in his eyes, and he growled.

Her nipples tightened in response
instantly and her juices flooded her sex, reminding her that her panties were
in the wash.

Growled
?

She must really be out of her mind.
However, she was almost positive that she had heard a low rumble come from the
hulk of a man before her. That sound frightened her and made her take a full
step back.