Page 15 of Bear
“You and Mason… You’re good? He’s made it clear he has more stuff he wants to talk to you about.” His concentrated blue stare makes me wonder how many details he knows about my attic misadventure last night, but also… it’s shaking me that he seems to truly care.
I look out the windshield at Mason, who is animatedly gesturing as Bear says something to him. “Yep. We’re fine for now. Kinda? Weird, I know. Hard to explain.” My gaze slides back to Duke’s, and I smile awkwardly. “So, how about after the fight? What happens when it’s over?”
Duke’s shoulders lift a bit, and he shrugs. “He celebrates in whatever way he chooses. He usually comes back to the dressing room for that. And then when we want to leave, we’ll sneak you back out the way we came.”
I can’t quite tell, but I have a gut feeling Duke is leaving a little something out of his explanation, but there’s no time for questions because all of a sudden, he gets a signal from Mason and jerks his head toward the door. “Let’s go.”
I tug on the door handle, but before I’ve managed to deal with the heavy door, Duke’s right there, pulling it open, and he holds his hand out for me, helping me from the vehicle. I gingerly step down onto the running board. I look up to find him frowning as he watches how awkwardly I’m moving.
“Hurting, huh?” He studies my fiercely wrinkled brow as I ease myself down to the asphalt.
I press my lips together, giving him another small smile. It feels weird to smile at him, I’m so used to defending myself and scowling at him. “Yeah. Achy. I look like a piece of rotten fruit under my clothes. I’m covered in bruises.”
His expression darkens, and from the way his gaze darts downward, he’d like to examine every inch of me, taking an accounting of all my injuries. And I don’t know why my mind goes where it does, but I imagine what it would be like if he found the person responsible. All the havoc he’d wreak to pay back the asshole for each and every fucking bruise on my body. It definitely feels like an odd thing for me to consider. Especially since part of the injuries were inflicted by Mason. I absolutely won’t be bringing it up. I’m not a fan of rocking a boat unnecessarily, and the two of them have been the tiniest bit nice to each other this evening, which is an interesting switch for them. I don’t want to mess that up, even if I think it’s strange as fuck and throws me off kilter.
I take a deep breath and watch as Mason gets back into the SUV and drives off, leaving me here with Bear and Duke. “Where—” My eyes follow the vehicle as it rolls away.
“Just to the corner where there’s an old parking deck. It’s less obvious than everyone parking right here,” Bear answers, collaring my neck with his big hand and guiding me toward the door. “He’ll meet us inside in a few minutes.” His eyes flick to Duke’s. “You brief her on what to expect?”
“A little. She’s not going to get the full experience, anyway.”
I shrug, eyeing both of them. “You really think it’s bad if they know I’m here?”
Duke grits his teeth, and I can tell he’s mulling over something in his head. “My father seemed far too relieved for my liking to find out I wouldn’t be here. Makes me wonder what shit these fuckers are up to tonight. It’s probably for the best that I am here, in case things get hairy.”
What the fuck does that mean?
“You’re not wrong,” Bear agrees in his deep-throated growl before grazing the side of my forehead with his lips.
With that, Duke yanks the door open. The hinges protest loudly, and he turns and lifts his finger to his lips before we enter. When I move to follow, Bear holds me back. “One sec.”
It seems like we wait forever, but it’s probably more like a minute before Duke pokes his head out to wave us inside. I follow him with Bear bringing up the rear. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around, but I’m grateful to Duke that he’d thought to come in and check things out first. We hurry down a dimly lit hall, only one bulb dangling from the impossibly high ceiling. It casts strange shadows on the walls, making my heart jump inside my chest. But there’s no one in sight, and at the end of a hall, Duke throws open a door and ushers me into a decent-sized room. I glance over my shoulder to see Bear thump his hand on Duke’s shoulder as he passes.
Duke closes the door as he steps into the room, automatically heading for a cushy-looking chair and dropping into it. It’s clear he’s comfortable here.
Bear stops when he reaches me and drops his bag on a table before slowly pushing the hood off my head. “Even though it wasn’t planned, I’m glad you’re here.” His warm hazel eyes search out mine. He smiles, then before I see it coming, he grasps either side of my head, tilting it back. He crushes his mouth to mine, catching me by complete surprise.
At the onslaught of Bear’s lips, I melt against his chest, my arms circling his back. With bold, greedy strokes, his tongue licks into my mouth, kicking my heart into overdrive. Ah, fuck. I inhale his clean scent. I like it a whole lot, but I’m actually looking forward to post-fight Bear. I’ve had sweat-slickened chest, breath heaving, eyes-only-for-me Bear on my mind the entire way over here. It might be some crazy fantasy, but the idea of him in beast mode just does something to me.
A noise off to my right reminds me we aren’t alone in this room. It sends some fiery, wild thrill through me to know Duke’s watching Bear kiss me—watching and not throwing a temper tantrum. And whether that’s because he’s getting used to seeing us together or perhaps because he doesn’t want to screw with Bear’s pre-fight mojo or some other reason entirely, I may never know. But I do know that it lights me up inside, the same way it did that night when I watched the sorority chick suck him off. He’d watched me as well, tracking everywhere Mason’s hands had roamed over my body. I know if I turn around, that same heat will be radiating from his eyes. The same want. The same desire.
Bear groans, drawing my attention back to him. Our breathing is labored, hot, heavy. His thumbs stroke over my cheeks, and he worships my mouth, the licks of his tongue sensual and sure. He pulls me close to him, letting me feel every toned muscle. As is always the case when Bear kisses me, I could go on and on, not realizing the passage of time. With Bear, I’m able to just let go. There’s no place for trepidation with him. There’s no anxiety or uncertainty. We simplyare.
A knock at the door has me clutching Bear’s waist tightly. We freeze in place.
“It’s just me.”
Mason.Thank goodness because I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to hide behind the door or what.
Duke shakes his head at the two of us, then gets up from the chair he’d crashed into to let Mason in. As soon as he opens the door, he groans out, “Just a warning, there’s a lot of lips and tongue action going on in here.”
Mason slips through the doorway, turning to lock it behind him. He throws Bear a sly wink. “Just be careful, man. You don’t want to fight with a hard-on.”
I ease back and give Bear a teasing grin. “Oh, shit. I don’t want to interfere with your usual pre-fight routine.” I look over my shoulder, for the first time noticing the couch on the far wall, and point. “I’ll just sit over there and watch you do your thing. I’ll stay out of the way.”
And so I do, curling up and watching as Bear strips out of his shirt and drops the joggers he’d worn over.Fuck me.The compression shorts he has on don’t hide a damn thing. That monster cock of his is a prominent bulge in his stretchy pants, and I suddenly wonder if Mason was really joking all that much about the hard-on and how he’s going to manage the beast in his pants during this fight. My questions are answered when Bear rummages in his bag and comes up with a cup that he tucks his junk into before he secures it with the strings attached.
My brows dart together, watching the process. “Wow. That’s impressive. But also a little weird.”
