Claimed By The Military Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance Standalone (Paranormal Shifter Romance, BBW Shifter Romance, WereBear Romance) (4 page)

Chapter 6

He showed up late one evening beneath torrents of rain. For hours, since the rain began, Melissa would throw worried glances out the window before stubbornly shaking her head away from thoughts of Barrett.

When it was his usual time to return, nothing came and as the minutes ticked by, Melissa’s concern only grew steadily higher.

Her mind began to come up with ludicrous ideas, horrible scenarios that left her gnawing on her fingernails and pacing a trail on the rug.

The house was dark save a couple of candles she had found in a drawer in the kitchen. The rain was so bad that water was splashing through the small chimney; Melissa had no choice but to shut it close. She preferred being dry than wet and miserable.

Wrapped in her blanket, Melissa paced from the living room to the kitchen, to the bathroom, and back to the living room. Her anxiety made it impossible to sit still.

What if something had happened?

Barrett had never told her of what he does exactly, but she guesses it must be rather dangerous judging by how heavily armed he usually is.

Even when she’s asked he would throw her a flat look, as if saying, ‘
there’s not a snow ball’s chance in hell, Melissa.’

Then her thoughts became paranoid.

What if her step-father had found out where she was? If he had found Barrett?

She knew Barrett could probably hold himself well in a fight, but
that man
had connections to darker parts of the world… For all she knew…
he could be dead out there.

A sudden crack of thunder startled a shriek from Melissa’s mouth. She lunged towards the couch, peering through the window to see huge blobs of rain strike the glass in big splatters.

She waited and waited, biting back worried tears and letting her teeth rip at her fingertips while she fiddled with her mother’s ring.

The door slammed open an hour or so later. Melissa leaped from the couch, believing that she had been caught by that man and that her time of freedom was over. Her first thought was to reach for a weapon, to grab one of the machetes and plunge the blade into the intruder.

That thought clattered to the ground when she saw Barrett’s familiar figure swiftly push through the door and slam the door shut. The draft and chill of rain disappeared as quickly as it had come and Melissa drew out a shaky breath when she heard his footsteps approach.

“You’re alive,” she breathed, relieved beyond measure.

Her relief came to a halting stop when she saw him stagger. Suddenly, he collapsed to his knees and Melissa was calling out his name as she threw herself at him.

She caught him around the waist, shivering when she felt the icy water cling to his frame.

“Barrett, what’s wrong? What’s happened?”

She bombarded him with questions that he shook his head through.

“Nothing,” he replied, “Just a cut.”

She was about to ask where before he let out a strangled cry, she felt the warm heat against his shoulder and recoiled.

Beneath the candlelight, she could tell it wasn’t just water on her hands. “You’re wounded.” She exclaimed.

“Just a flesh wound,” he grunted. “I’m fine.”

Melissa wasn’t going to sit back and let him push her off.

With a firm hand, she pushed him down and he nearly toppled over flat. She felt one of his hands grip tight to her waist, squeezing a warning against her side.

“I need to see how bad it is.”

“Don’t bother,” he protested but Melissa was already pushing away to stoke the fire alive.

Even if it was for a short while, she needed the light. “Mel, I’m serious, it’s no big deal.”

“Ugh, will you just shut up for five seconds?” She hissed, feeling her hands shake even as she struggled to make a small spark with the flint.

Moments later, she managed to get a spark and stoked the flames to life, much more used to the action now. She stood and walked into the kitchen, finding towels, and the first aid kit under the sink.

When she returned, Barrett was removing his weapons and laying them on the ground, rivers of rainwater falling down his face.

“We need to take off your shirt,” she said as she settled beside him.

“I said I’m fine.”

“You won’t be if you don’t shut up and do as I say,” she snarled, feeling inwardly shocked at her own heated answer.

He looked up at her, surprised. She didn’t give him a moment to comment before her hands were reaching for the soaked fabric of his clothes and began to pull.

He hissed but said nothing, aiding her when sopping clothes were stripped from his skin. The firelight curved and glistened over the bulging muscles of his body and for a moment, Melissa nearly stopped to stare.

She was almost tempted to run her fingers over his abs until her eyes found a massive gash on his shoulder. It looked bad and kept bleeding.

“Pass me that towel,” Barrett said quietly.

Melissa did as she was told and focused on helping him press the cloth against the dribbling wound.

As he did that, she began to locate the bandages in the first aid kit, pulling out ointments and band-aids big enough to do the job. She followed his instructions carefully, pulling the towel away enough for him to see how bad it was.

It was long but not deep enough to require stitches, according to him. Melissa sighed slowly as she applied some ointment once the bleeding managed to staunch.

A silence spread between them as she applied the gauze against his wound.

“You want to tell me what happened?” She muttered, hoping he heard her over the thunder, rain, and crackle of fire.

“Just a stupid mistake,” he sighed.

“I got distracted.”

A frown tugged her lips and brows down, as she reached for a bandage to wrap around his wound.

“That doesn’t sound like you.”

He let out a short laugh, “As if you’d know.”

“Of course I know,” she replied rolling her eyes.

“I’ve lived with you for almost two months now… You’re not exactly a space cadet, Barrett.”

There was a pause then and she didn’t realize something had changed until she was done adjusting the bandage and peering into his eyes. He was staring at her strangely, intently… as if he had discovered something and wasn’t sure how to process it.

Melissa felt her insides squirm the more she was under his scrutiny, yet she couldn’t exactly pull away from him.

Something kept her close.

“Two months…” He muttered and Melissa gave him a tiny nod, worried that the moment—whatever it was—would break if she moved any further.

“It has been a while…”

“Yeah.” Melissa murmured, swallowing back nervously even while her eyes flicked back and forth over his.

She then realized that one of her hands was still on his shoulder, her thumb grazing over the edge of his collarbone and igniting sparks of electricity beneath their skin.

His eyes moved, orbs of dark azure sliding down hers to land over her mouth and she felt the tingling in her hand spread
everywhere.

Something magnetic passed between them, urging her to inch forward, for one of his hands to press over her hip.

Whatever was going on, it frightened Melissa… frightened her because she had never felt so excited in her life.

Should this be happening? What even
was
happening? Melissa didn’t know, she vaguely wondered if she was okay where this was headed. He had been her savior, even her only friend, was she even ready to go… wherever this was going?

But then she remembered how scared she had been; she remembered how she had wished to have him at her side, to converse with him again.

She liked him, she knew this after that night in the kitchen when he had promised she’d be safe. But…

“Mel,” Barrett whispered and she could feel his breath on her lips and she could feel her body tighten in anticipation.

Slowly, Melissa inched down, felt him shift beneath her frozen fingertips before their lips just barely touched each other.

It was a butterfly touch, the lightest flutter of flesh on flesh before Melissa suddenly found herself on her back. She let out a cry, alarmed that gravity has suddenly flipped and her eyes were wide and staring above her.

Barrett’s blue eyes were wide and focused, and she could feel his breath on her lips, hard and hot. Her hands were gripping to his body, firm and surprised. Then he ducked down, and Melissa felt her breath catch in her throat.

She could feel his mouth on hers more securely. His lips were amazingly soft, and for a moment, Melissa couldn’t do anything but register the sensation of them. He pulled away, dragging her lips in a gentle suckle that sent tingles through her bloodstream.

She didn’t want him to pull away, she realized this, so she dragged her fingers over his chest to grip the back of his neck. She rose her chin, letting her lips brush against his once more and she felt him groan against her chest.

Kiss after kiss was passed between them, leaving her blood feeling like molten lava and her thighs to press together.

Air felt light in her head, making her head spin lightly with every touch of his mouth on hers.

She blinked, eyes fluttering lazily as he pulled away to drag his lips down her jaw, and she shivered, feeling the chill of rainwater land on her skin even as he kissed her hotly.

“Barrett,” Melissa sighed, arching her back and throat as he pressed languid kiss after languid kiss against her skin.

“Melissa,” he whispered back, moaning softly when her fingers dragged down his skin.

Pushing his head back up, she met his lips a little more urgently, daring to part her lips and taste him.

Barrett gathered her zeal and turned it back on her, running his tongue against the tip of hers in a touch so hyperly sensual it made her gasp against him.

This felt so unreal, but it felt amazing. Melissa never wanted him to stop.

Their sighs and moans rose and fell with every press of flesh and taste of tongues. She felt her body jolt when she felt his fingers reach under her shirt before gathering his skin beneath his palms.

She suddenly felt bashful, worried, and self-conscious that he would be repulsed by the extra weight in her skin.

To her surprise, Barrett let out a soft groan of appreciation, pulling the fabric and trying to feel more of her with his hands.

Each touch he made ignited something inside her so carnal and delicious it was hard to want to stop. His lips continued to travel, tasting her neck, under her jaw before returning to taste within her mouth.

Melissa moaned with every touch, her back arching beneath him to press her breasts against his chest.

She let out a gasp when one of his hands traveled beneath her bra, pulling the fabric up until his fingers found her nipple.

She ripped herself from his lips, throwing her head back with a wanton moan.

“Barrett,” Melissa said airily, “Please… please, I want…”

“What do you want?” He hummed against her throat, both of his hands appearing over her belly before dragging her shirt high over her collarbone.

She could feel the cold wet of his pants, and she realized he had settled between her legs.

She bucked against him, arching her back high so that he could touch her. His thumbs hooked under her bra, pulling it up as he ducked down.

“Wha-what are you doing…?” Melissa breathed, struggling to find air in her lungs.

He answered her by pulling a nipple into his mouth. The wet heat made Melissa let out a squeak, body jerking beneath him as he sucked and laved her sensitive flesh with saliva. Her other nipple was being plucked and pulled gently between his fingers, making her see stars.

She could hear the sound of his lips sucking and letting go, making her back feel funny in how her chest felt.

When she glanced down, he was staring at her with a heady look, panting slowly as a string of saliva connected her skin to his mouth.

She had never felt so erotic in her entire life.

“I want you,” He murmured, tongue flicking out to graze her nipple.

“I want you more than anything, Mel…”

He ducked his head back down, switching to her other breast to give it the same treatment. Melissa moaned, digging her fingers into his scalp and drawing out groans from his throat against her chest.

She spread her legs out further, wanting for him to be closer, to rub against the throbbing between her legs.

He shifted his hips and she felt the graze intimately, made her lips part in a silent exclamation.

“Mel,” he breathed again, pressing wet kisses against her navel, traveling further down until his teeth were pulling on the hem of her pants (it was a pair of pajama bottoms he had lent her).

Melissa moved, removing her hands from Barrett’s skin to pull on the fabric of the pants, pushing down with a huff of needy air.