BearTrapped (5 page)

The cleared path to the cave was once again obscured by a coating of snow. Braeden waded through the drift until he’d reached the entrance and his shovel and cleared the path once more, hoping they weren’t in for heavy snowfall just yet. He
wanted
more time to gather supplies.
He supposed he was like his father in that regard, who never seemed satisfied with what they had in their coffers and always wanted to go on one last hunting trip.

Braeden’s
day had been spent tracking a herd of mountain goats up into the far reaches of the mountain. With difficulty, he’d stalked a large ram until he’d made the kill. Getting the beast back down the mountain was another challenge, but he’d smoked enough meat to last them for a few weeks
along with the fish strips they’d smoked
. He’d also discovered a pleasant surprise near the mountain top that he hoped to take Kimber to if she could be persuaded not to fight him.

He thought about what she would do or say when he went inside, and he dreaded a confrontation. It was late, and the moon had already crested in the sky. His breath puffed like billowing smoke in the still air, but with no more snow to clear and his hunting done for the day, there was no more reason to delay entering his cave.

Past the skin inside, embers smoldered from the fire pit. In the dimness, he could barely discern her shape beneath the furs—she was so slight and small and, thankfully, asleep. Braeden sighed in relief and stoked the fire until it began warming the space once more. As the flames roared to life and cast flickering light on the walls, he could see she hadn’t gathered much wood but she had caught a small bird and picked its bones clean and left them in a small pile by the fire. She’d also left a tiny portion of meat for him in a skillet—about two mouthfuls. Oddly, the fact that she’d left him something when she’d had so little to start with pleased him.

Braeden finished off the meat, grabbed his ax, and took the scraps outside to dispose of them
before heading out to his stockpile of deadwood. Though it was a task better left to daylight, he wanted a few hours of wood before calling it a night. Had he not keen vision, chopping an armful of wood would have been impossible—at least not without potentially injuring himself.

His body ached—muscles exhausted from the full day. He’d made sure he was as physically spent as possible before returning to her. At least now, he wouldn’t be tempted to do things he shouldn’t, even if she begged him. Perhaps she’d come to her senses with the break away from him
, because t
he last thing he wanted was for her to get attached to him.

Braeden gathered a tall armload of wood and dragged himself back to the cave, feeling as though he walked in his sleep. He fed the fire, making sure the new logs caught aflame, then
peeled his clothing off down to his breechcloth, and
crawled ben
eath the furs beside Kimber to
let blessed sleep take hold.

Warm, silky skin greeted him
when he wrapped his arms around her middle
.
He realized at once that
she was absolutely naked beneath the furs.
His loins instantly responded, telling his tired mind and body that he wasn’t nearly exhausted enough to ignore her.
She murmured in her sleep and rubbed her bare bottom
against his thigh. He stifled a groan, panic growing in conjunction with his cock. What he needed to do was flip over, pinch the head of his dick off or thump the shaft and drown in misery until he was asleep.

He remained still, torturing himself with the soft feel of her against him, subtly rubbing her stomach and the underside of her breasts
.
The faint scent of her heat teased his nostrils, urging him to spread her legs and ram his cock inside. She’d done this on purpose—sleeping naked.

“Mmmm,” she moaned sleepily, touching his hand where it rest just under her breasts. Her skin heated, increasing the sexual pheromones that tantalized him to take action.

This sleeping situation was going to have to change or she’d be pregnant before spring.
She might not realize he could get her with child, but he knew better than that.

“I’m back,” he said, strangling on his own saliva and willing his cock to obey, die, and wither up back inside him
never to return
. At this point, only a kick to
the balls was going to deter the bastard
. His serpent had managed to slither out from under his breechcloth and was looking for a warm wet cave to hide in instead. The cockhead nestled in her buttocks, searching for sweet cream.
He shifted, feeling the moisture tickle against his primed flesh.

Kimber
moaned, drowsing and
rubbing sensuously against him, backing up and spreading her cheeks.

Did she know what she was doing to him? He frowned and flipped his eyelids open, staring at the back of her head in the dimness.
As if with a mind of its own, his hand smoothed down her flat stomach, through the short, coarse curls hiding her sex, until he reached her wet slit and found her clit. She groaned when he touched it, and beneath his fingers, she felt plump and hot—hot enough to burn him alive. He shifted until his cock could nestle in her nether lips from behind, warm and cozy and wanting more.

Braeden knew he was an idiot for pushing further and testing his limits. He massaged her clit with his thumb and torturously glided his cock against her slit. The small hole that promised heavenly pleasures teased him with every pass, making his belly jerk as he withstood the temptation. He bit her shoulder, gratified to hear her small whimpers as he caressed her nubbin and felt the blood pump furiously. She gripped his hand, pushing back into him. The tip of his cock slipped just inside the edges of her core.

He ceased moving his hips, pinching he
r clit as a sweat popped out along
his brow. Every muscle screamed to push forward, to ram inside her body and fuck her until he passed out. His nostrils flared, and he gulped air until he reined in his libido and slid back from the entrance to her body. Jolting at the passage back to temporary sanity, he tucked into the cleft of her buttocks and ground against her, furiously rubbing her clit until he could feel her orgasm tremble through her body. He was gasping and groaning, he realized, straining to reach his own as she bucked against his fingers and sudden pleasure rippled hotly through his shaft to sputter out.

Braeden removed his breechcloth and wiped her clean, thinking she wouldn’t appreciate waking in the morning with that on her, no matter how she might feel about it right now.

She shuddered
and stretched
. “I’ll have more of that in the morning,” she murmured and drifted back to sleep with a sigh.

Braeden choked on a groan. “Aye,” he said, wondering if he should just bear with his family for the winter and head back home.

***

With the morning came the realization that Braeden was in trouble. As much as he wanted to deny that fact, he couldn’t. Being trapped in the small space with a female
in heat was more than any man
sh
ould
be asked to
withstand.
Something had to give, and he worried it would be his will.

Kimber woke when he left to relieve himself. He strode outside in the buff, appreciating the biting cold wind withering his manhood after he was done and reaffirming his resolve to stay strong and aloof. When he walked back inside, he found Kimber sitting up, naked and stretching
with a grace only a woman could possess
. He struggled to remember what he’d resolved to do only moments before as blood rushed to h
is groin and tightened his sac
.
He cursed his semi-hard cock and gave the shaft a surreptitious thump to calm it down.

The earthen tones of her skin gleamed with supple health
and red undertones
, fixating his eyes. He enjoyed the curve of her waist and the soft sway of her perky breasts
tipped with tiny dark nipples. She had beautiful dark hair, and when the light struck her
head
, the softly curled mass gleamed with scarlet highlights—it was why he’d enjoyed calling her Red, whether she realized it or not
. He knew she felt
even better than she looked, so warm and round and willing. Would it be such an atrocity to give in to animal instincts and rut to their hearts’ content? Again, the bend of his will seemed imminent.

The pleasing scent of her sexually awakened pheromones teased his nostrils, luring him to come hither and lay her down. Braeden shook his head of the lusty fog and pulled his breeches on.
How long had he been standing there, gaping? If the smile teasing her lips was any indication, long enough for her to have a good eyeful of his undress. He scowled for caring and
unwrapped some
of the
jerky
he’d smoked, breaking
his fast as he watched Kimber rise and leisurely pull her dress on over her head. His salivary glands erupted and made him strangle on his own spit.
H
e’d been given a look inside a window that never should have been left open
for the likes of him
. The temptation of her unfettered sexuality was palpable and powerful.

Kimber gave him a slant eyed look
. She pulled a wide toothed wooden comb from her bag and detangled her hair. Even a simple task as that appealed with its
humble
charm
. “Forget how to chew
?”
she asked.

He coughed. “A little.
Only around you do I fail to remember the basics of existence.”

She laughed, a husky sound that rubbed his insides like fine silk. A strange need to hear it again possessed him. Why did he feel the urge to please her? “It’s good I’m here to remind you to swallow.”

He grinned.
“
How is it you’ve gone unmated again?”

Shrugging, she
put her comb away. She
walked to him and stoked the embers with a stick. He offered her some jerky and she sat on her haunches to eat. “I found no man to my fancy. Perhaps if my heat had been in effect, I would be saddled with a mate right now. Aren’t you the lucky one to reap these benefits?”

“Aye.
I thought most girls dreamt of a man to take care of them and children?
”

She snorted. “No. My mother said I should have been born a man, since I preferred spending my time hunting and working the land with my father. She bemoaned the fact I can’t sew, I’m a pretty bad cook, and I prefer being naked or my beast.
Clothing can be so cumbersome, don’t you agree?
”

The tone of her voice caught his attention. He swa
llowed hard, remembering how good
she looked nude. “It sometimes gets in the way of things.”

Kimber cocked her head
, lowering her eyes as if suddenly shy
. “Not last night.”

Braeden
felt an odd heat in his head. Kimber giggled.

“You’re blushing,” she said.

His mouth hung open. “I have never blushed in my life. That’s for women.”

“I am beginning to believe you are shy. Do I scare you?” she asked, walking around the fire until she could sit beside him. She placed a hand on his forearm.

He snorted. “
Scared o
f a slip of a girl? Hardly.”

“I feel your reaction to my touch. There is something that makes you wary.”

“My good sense keeps me alive. How do I know the wrath of the wolf clan won’t come bearing down on my head for taking one of their own?”

“No one knows I’m with you. We’ve established that.”

Braeden narrowed his eyes. “So you say.”

“I’ve had time to think things through while you were gone. I’ve concluded you simply aren’t going to continue saying no to me.
It’s all perfectly natural, if it
i
s guilt that’s holding you back.
I consent. I want you to do much more with me—all of it.
”

He choked and tried not to die on a mouthful of food. She
sat staring at him with an impatience on her face and her wide mouth pursed
while he recovered
. “You
don’t know what you’re asking for
. Come, this is enough talk for now. I found something I think you will appreciate, if you can keep pace with me up the mountain.”
He paused, looking her over. “Bring soap. And a comb.”

She widened her eyes. “Soap?”

A strong scent of brimstone wafted above the s
teaming pool surrounded by moist
rocks and snow
a few feet from the permeating warmth.
The scene looked unnatural—like something of the devil. She didn’t want to believe it was dangerous, but she had her superstitions like any
one else
.

“What is it?” Kimber asked, hanging back as Braeden disrobed, folded his clothing, and carefully placed it on a bolder to keep the bundle dry.

“A hot spring. This is the largest I’ve seen in the area. They’re usually qu
ite small and hard to find. I fo
und this one while tracking a
mountain ram.” Braeden stepped over
the ledge and settled into the water. Steam parted like a curtain around him, and he gave a little hiss as the water covered him to the tops of his shoulders.
The way he grimaced, she couldn’t tell if he was pleasured or pained. She decided it was pleasure, since he wasn’t screaming in agony.

She worried her lip. “It’s not a…gateway to the underworld?”
she asked, feeling like a
silly
bumpkin for her fears.

He chuckled, beckoning her to join him with a wave of his hand.
He crooked a finger at her.
“Don’t be silly. It’s a rare treat. I thought you’d enjoy a hot bath, but if you’re too frightened…”

“I don’t want to get my hair wet,” she said, touching the mass. She wasn’t necessarily dirty. Every time she changed from human to beast, the old skin and dirt sloughed off with the transformation back, leaving her feeling clean and renewed. But the hot water looked tempting. Shrugging, she took her hair and wound it up into a loose bun affixed with the comb. She removed her cloak and dress, setting them with his things, before carefully stepping into the water with him.

He watched her as the water closed over her dark skin to just below her chin.

“Come have a seat over here. You look close to drowning,” he said, a lightness to his tone.

Braeden was right. Though it was nearly too hot to stand, the water felt invigorating in a way that transitioning never could. She settled beside him, feeling their thighs touch as she sat on a flat boulder under the water
that lifted her up in the water and left the tops of her shoulders exposed
. Maybe it was that human half of her that craved such a thing as a hot bath. She’d given herself to the wild so much of her life, as all her people did.

“Do you think there are still men of pure human blood beyond the mountains?” she asked. The wolf clan occupied the valleys and plains to the south. After the long
conflict
with the bear clan, they’d never ventured past the range.

Braeden pushed the water back and forth with his hands as though he were swimming. Ripples splashed as they hit her chest.

“We have a
story
among my people. In the long ago days, before the joining of man and beast, they say
the sins of humans reaped the fury of the gods, and
the mountains rained fire and covered the land in ash. The Great Beast stepped through the smoke, and inside him were all the animals sharp of tooth who craved meat. With him came his wife, who held the beasts flat of tooth, eaters of leaf and
grain. They came from the
mountains
of fire and blessed those humans who survived the wrath with the beast
, and their children inherited the land and rule to this day.
It’s possible some were missed or too afraid of the Great Beast
and his woman
.
”

Kimber slipped a palm up one arm, wishing she’d remembered to bring the soap she’d left in her pocket. From the corner of her eye, she could see Braeden watching her. His cheeks were ruddy, and she fancied herself with the thought it was being naked in the water beside her and not just the heat affecting him.
“My friend was tainted by human blood, or so she
says. She couldn’t change into her
beast.”

“
I’ve never heard of such
,” he said. “Did she find a mate?” He stopped waving his arms in the water and dipped his hands down, touching his thighs.
His hand skimmed
against her leg.
A jolt of desire twisted her insides.

Railing against something so powerful was pointless.

Kimber turned slightly to look him full-faced. “Yes. Lucky girl
. She found true love
,” she murmured
, leaning closer until one breast rubbed against his arm
in a test of his resistance
.
Oddly, the fact that he seemed determined to fight his attraction to her only fed her desire to push his limits.
Did that mean she was a glutton for punishment?

His bicep tensed, and the water splashed as he flattened against the curved wall behind him. She could see the struggle on his face
by his narrowed eyes and clenched jaw
. “No such thing,” he said in a gruff tone.

“
It must have been lust then,” she whispered. “That’s real enough for me.” She planted her palms on his broad chest, tilting her face up in expectation. “Is that so bad?”

“It can be,” he strangled out, wrapping his arms around her back to flatten her against his chest.

Kimber slipped against him, glorying in the feel of his slick skin against her breasts. He dipped her backwards until the steam from the water neared her ears and she feared he’d dunk her beneath in some cruel trick to d
ampen
her desire. He held her still, his eyes heavy lidded as he watched her mouth.

“They say when you kiss, you lose a piece of your soul to your lover,” he whispered,
lowering
his head until his lips nearly touched hers.

Kimber held her breath. Her heart felt like it would hammer through her ribcage.
“Can you feel the loss?” she breathed, leaving her lips parted as she watched him.

“I’
ve never lost myself
to a woman
,” he gro
wled before crushing his mouth against
hers.

She only thought she’d been breathless before
. Air couldn’t drag through her nostrils fast enough to keep light-headedness at bay. A dizzying whirl of sensation assaulted her. Coaxed into accepting the thrust of his tongue, she felt consumed by the heat of his mouth--her senses overwhelmed by the touch and taste of him.
Thick with muscle, he cradled her in his arms and
pushed a hand to the nape of her neck, disallowing escape from the contact of his lips.

Not that she would run if she could. This was where she’d been meant to be all along—against him, with him inside her—slick, hot,
and
wet. Her mating heat unfurled in her belly, making her cleft ache with need. She wondered why his mouth conjured such a feeling, but his tongue thrust seemed a precursor to more and she was dying for it.
She sucked him, trying to convey her longing for more.

He tore from her mouth, his breathing ragged as his kissed the corner of her lips
in hungry nibbles that stoked her inner fire
.

“Did I capture a piece of you?” she asked in a husky tone, rubbing her wet breasts against him with sensual promise.

Braeden unwrapped his arms and pulled back to look hotly into her eyes. He swallowed as he rubbed a thumb across her bottom lip, looking as if he wanted to repeat the kiss. “Perhaps, Red. You’re a hungry little wolf. I
think
you might eat me alive if I’m not careful.”

“I promise you would like it,” she said with a grin before nipping his thumb and sucking it into her mouth.
The look in his eyes made her melt. She wasn’t sure how she’d managed to stay calm for so long around him.
Why was touching and tasting him so addictive?

“Aye. I think I would. And that’s the problem.
We’ve gone about this entire business backwards.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“
Courtship is usually begun first. As tempting as the idea is to give in to base instinct, I prefer to resist my beast in some aspects of life.”

Kimber squinted. “And you think I’m odd?”

He chuckled, and the sound rubbed her nerves in a pleasing manner. “I suppose we both are.”

“That makes us a pair.”

“Aye.
We need to dry off and head back. I still have fishing to do, and your skin is pruned.”

“I think you worry overmuch about food.”

Braeden grinned. “One thing I picked up from my father—always be prepared. He had that constant worry with three boys in the house. ‘Tis hard to keep us all satisfied,” he said.

He stood in the pool, pulling her up with him.
She watched his face instead of the rivulets running down his long hair to his skin. Was he merely talking of food or something more? Her kind tended to mate and remain together until their young left home. She knew nothing of the Ursine and their habits, but she longed to know more and couldn’t fathom why she was so keen to learn. Hopes
to prolong contact
with him
vanished with the evaporating steam from their bodies.
He lifted himself from the pool, arms bulging with the strain of his body weight, and she admired his backside as he exited with a hiss as frigid air met wet skin.

“Leaving is the worst part,” he said over his shoulder, shivering as he dried off and dressed before giving her a helping hand out. He wrapped the linen around her before she could get too cold and dried her as she sat on the lip of the pool. He retrieved her clothing and bent to slip her shoes on her feet so they would warm first. As his large hands engulfed her small feet, she couldn’t help but notice the
intimate, tender
act felt incredibl
e
. She couldn’t remember the last time she was cared for in such a manner—her parents had raised her to be independent. Being protected was unfamiliar but welcome.

She dropped the linen from her shoulders, allowing him to slip the dress over her head and arms. When she thrust her face through the neckline, she caught his caressing gaze on her chest, and that familiar heat tingled inside yet again.

She didn’t bother to disguise her disappointment or need
with his refusal to act, or his strange idea that resisting their animal instincts was somehow noble
. By now, he knew what she wanted.

***

Braeden was damned skilled at retreating. She supposed it must be a talent he’d picked up from escaping from his family. By now, she found it as amusing as it was annoying.

Kimber knew it was only a matter of time before Braeden gave in to her and put her out of the miserable pain of her mating heat.
He pretended he didn’t want her, but she knew that was
only
an act—and he was a terrible liar.
A man didn’t kiss a woman like that if he felt nothing.
Feeling inexplicably giddy, she danced around the cave, stacking the wood he’d chopped inside along one wall. She straightened the bedding, imaging them tangled on the luxurious furs
and again a dizzying feeling rushed through her. Giving in to her smiles felt wondrous, and s
he swept the ash out of the pit as well as the dust that had settled further inside.

The dwelling cooled without a fire to warm it, but her movements kept her warm.

Kimber wasn’t sure how long she’d danced around and cleaned
without complaint
—a light heart and step made the time go by quickly
. Stepping through the entrance,
however,
outside seemed darker.
Heavy cloud hung in the
grey
sky, and a brisk wind whipped the spruce
and pine, flinging
their
snowy
burden to the ground in clumps.

Where was Braeden, she wondered. She began to worry about him taking so long fishing. She
’d
thought
surely
he’d be back by now. Perhaps he’d caught so many
fish
he couldn’t bring them all back on his own?

Kimber discarded the long
spruce
bow she’d used to sweep, returned inside and slung her cloak on before going out once more to watch the sky. As if to accentuate her worries, snowflakes
began
flutter
ing
down, clinging and melting against her ha
ir and eyelashes as she looked
to the path he’d beaten up over the rise.

“I’m not just going to stand here making myself sick with worry,” she muttered.

Making up her mind, she
dashed inside and grabbed a small, burlap sack to help carry fish before setting out on Braeden’s path over the crest and back down to his stream
.
Keeping her eyes downcast to watch her footing, she noticed the snow falling heavier
as she ascended
. No longer could she see his tracks along the path, and if she didn’t move faster, her new worry was that the path would be engulfed by fresh snow
before she could get back down to the river
.

“I hate the mountains. And winter worse,” she griped, picking up the pace until her breath expelled in great puffs. Her toes were freezing in the thin slippers
, slipping on icy, flat boulders. She wanted to be warm
and
curled up by the fire in Braeden’s hairy arms. But first she had to find her big bear.

Kimber was so focused on her descent
and not losing her footing
, she didn’t realize she was nearly to the bottom until movement drew her eyes. The broad furry back of Braeden’s beast came into view
. D
ampened by falling snow, his fur looked darker than she remembered
.
The water moved slower
as
slush and ice gather
ed
in bends and curves. It would soon be iced over, she thought.

At least he was safe.
She sighed in relief seeing him standing on the water’s edge over a half-eaten fish pinned beneath a paw. He’d gotten hungry being out here all day, but she
could
n’t
see
if he’d caught anything else.

“Braeden!” she yelled and waved, stumbling down the hillside and tripping through a snowdrift.

The bear turned at the sound of her call. Something was off
in his demeanor
—he huffed and shook his head, making the fat wrinkles on his shoulders and back ripple in response
.
Downwind
from her
, his scent was undetectable, but one look at his face
transfixed her in a state of panicked pause
. He stood
on his back legs
to his full height, nearly four feet higher than she stood
. The monster opened his snout
and roared
loud enough to
rattle
her
ear drums
, confirming her worst fear—this bear was not Braeden
.