Page 17 of Bear
Without looking at her, I jam the knife in deeper. “Oh, and Morgan? Don’t bother coming around after the fight. I’ll be taking care of all his cooldown needs.”
His brows hike up on his forehead, interest radiating from every part of him.
Morgan heaves out what sounds like an exasperated breath, but that’s simply a guess, because I can’t tear my gaze away from the man in the center of the room, the gleam in his eye intensifying the longer this carries on. My lips twitch, but I try to hold back my smile. She flat-out whines a moment later. “Where the fuck did you come from? I don’t get it.”
“Straight outta your worst nightmare, honey. And don’t you forget it. Now, get the fuck out.” I take a breath, my eyes flicking over to the doorway. “Duke? Could you shut the door for us so we can continue with Bear’s fight prep?”
He practically chokes on his own spit. “You got it.” He pushes the door shut in her face, then turns around to lean against it, arms folded over his chest. “So much for us keeping quiet.”
“It’s not like I told her my name.”
Mason is trying hard not to laugh. “Are we allowed to call you ‘the upgrade’? Because that was funny as hell.”
“No.” I roll my eyes. “How else was I supposed to handle that?”
Duke shakes his head. “I was waiting for you to tear her throat out, honestly. I’m impressed that there was no bloodshed. Especially now that we know you weren’t afraid to hold a knife to Tucker’s throat.”
“Hey, the night is still young. She comes back around, and it’ll be”—I drag my pointer finger across my throat—“all over for Sparkle Pants.” I joke, but I’m also mildly concerned what my reaction will be if I’m forced to deal with her again.
Mason snorts with laughter as he gets up. “I’m going to check and see where they’re at out there. Be right back.” Duke steps aside and lets him exit, then shuts the door behind him before crossing the room to take his seat again.
Bear crooks his finger at me. Of all their reactions, his is the one I’m most concerned with. This is his event. His fight. In the moment, I thought I was doing the right thing. But now I’m nervous. This is awkward. We’ve fucked. We like each other. But it’s not like we’ve made any sort of commitment to each other. It’s not like I’ve staked a claim… nor has he. In fact, I’ve been with Mason, too, so who am I to say that Bear can’t—
I stop my internal battle to cringe at myself. He can do what he wants. And now I wonder if I’ve pissed him off by sending someone away who is part of his fight routine. My face heats. Oh god. I messed up.
Sometimes I forget what a big guy he is until I’m confronted with him directly. He holds out a hand to me, and when I place mine in his much larger one, he tugs me into a straddle position on his lap, the steel cup meant to protect him during the fight hard between my legs. Air gusts from my lungs, and I try to draw another breath, but it hitches as I look into his eyes. Bear pulls me closer and whispers in my ear, “Holy shit, Little Gazelle. I can practically see the wheels grinding inside your head.”
I aim a worried half smile at him. “How badly did I fuck up?”
His hands slip from my waist upward, until his thumbs are brushing the sides of my breasts. “I don’t know yet. Did you mean what you said when you were trying to get rid of her?” He shifts, lifting his hips, the cup dragging right over my clit.
I blink, an electric jolt crashing through me as he does it again. And again. My mouth drops open. “W-what do you mean?” Pinpricks of white-hot lust burst inside every cell of my body. He runs his hands down, cupping my ass, and guides my movement. My toes barely reach the floor, so I’m forced to hold onto his shoulders as the intense feelings riot within me. I breathe in his air and stare into his gold-flecked eyes.
“You said you’d be taking care of my cooldown needs. Did you mean it?” Our lips are only a hair’s breadth apart, and I close the distance with my tongue as I flick it over his bottom lip. I can imagine what “cooldown needs” might entail. The thought of it makes me hot all over. He groans and catches the back of my neck with a hand, his mouth slanting over mine and delving deep in his exploration of my mouth. His tongue delivers lick after wicked lick, sending me half out of my mind as I grind my clit against the cup. My panties are dampening at a rapid rate, and my thighs begin to shake with the uncontrolled, desperate need to come.
When I tear my mouth from Bear’s so that I can take a breath, my eyes open… and connect with Duke’s over Bear’s shoulder. He’s watching us with what I’d call an entire fuck ton of interest, his hand resting on top of his cock. And now, with my eyes on him, he palms it, stroking roughly while his hips thrust.
Out of nowhere, the orgasm strikes, blinding pleasure coursing through me as the tight knot in my lower abdomen unfurls. Wave after wave hits me, threatening to take me under. Bear nuzzles my neck, licking and sucking at my skin, and Duke, he just keeps fucking watching. His face is mostly unreadable, the only thing I’m truly able to pick up on is the heat in his eyes.
“Ah fuck, I leave for five minutes, and this is what I miss out on?”
My pussy continues to intermittently throb as I look over my shoulder. Mason strides toward us, hooks his hands under my armpits and lifts me off Bear. “Baby sis, the man has to be in the ring in the next five minutes.”
I grit my teeth, giving Bear an apologetic but saucy smile.
He stands up, hips shifting, with one hand to the cup. “Wrinkly grandmas, pea soup, baby bunnies, fucking creepy tarantulas,” he hisses, then breathes slowly in and out. In and out. He gasps again, “Fuuuck.”
“Is there a reason you’re still calling herbaby sis, asshole?” Duke gives Mason the side-eye as he gets up to rummage in the mini fridge.
“It bugs you, and you know I can’t help myself when it comes to fucking with you.” Mason shrugs. “I don’t hear you protestingtoomuch.”
“Whatever,” Duke grunts, coming up with two bottles and handing one off to me. “We’ll see you back here when the fight is over.”
Bear stalks my way, grabs the back of my neck, and hauls me close. His warm breath fans from my ear down to my neck. I shiver in response. His voice gruff, he murmurs low enough that only I can hear him, “You still didn’t answer me, but I assume you meant to say ‘Yes, Daddy.’”
My eyes widen, but before I can say a damn thing, he’s out the door. Mason shakes his head. “You riled him up. We’ll see how that translates in the ring. See you in a bit.” He gives me a dirty little smirk and follows our fighter, the two of them practically taking all the air in the room with them.
TEN
