Page 14 of Grumpy Special Ops Bear: Ep. 3
“Trinity, you’re not responsible, and I will not use you as bait.”
“Why not? It makes sense,” I argued.
Chapter 9
Fergus
I clamped my mouth shut.The answer had almost come out, but I’d stopped it just in time. Maybe when she didn’t have a knife still tucked at her side, I’d bring up the whole concept of fated mates and that I was pretty sure she was mine.
Scrambling for a distraction, I stood up, pulling her with me. “I want to show you something.”
She pressed her hands against my chest. “Okay, lead the way.”
Grabbing her hand again, I snatched my backpack, and we trudged away from the camp and into the forest. We walked in comfortable silence as Trinity clutched my hand all the way to our destination.
Upon our arrival, she squealed at the scenery—geothermal springs secluded by the forest and stunning mountains.
“Fergus, oh my God.” Releasing my hand, she jumped up and down with excitement, pointing as the steam hovered over the small cascading waterfall. “A hot spring. I can’t believe it.” She turned and hugged me tight. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’ve shown no one this spot. It’s my little oasis in the middle of the forest.”
She reached up, tracing her fingers along my jaw. “Thank you for sharing it with me.” She smiled and then stepped back. “And just in time. I need to freshen up, like right now.” Without pausing, she stripped off her boots and clothes before running into the steamy spring. She opened her mouth, gargling the water before spitting it out, the liquid dripping over her delectable body.
I just stood there, gaping, as the moisture trickled down her full breasts.
“Am I going to enjoy this all by myself?”
She didn’t have to ask me twice. Dropping my backpack, I kicked off my boots and peeled off my clothes before digging into my bag and yanking out a bottle of Aunt Kristine’s specially concocted body wash. I stalked over to the spring and waded in toward Trinity. Squeezing out a dollop of soap, I slowly lathered her body as the water beat against the rocks. Instead of shying away from me, she leaned into my touch.
“You have very skilled hands, shifter.” She moaned, not even attempting to move as I soaped every inch of her stunning body.
“I’m not finished yet, darling.” I knelt to wash her legs and feet, and then I circled behind her, lathering her buttocks.
“This is every girl’s wet dream.” Her eyelids closed.
“I’m here to please,” I grunted while pushing to my feet. Then I washed her back and hair.
“My turn?” She turned around and reached for the body wash. “I’ll start with the huge parts.” She stared pointedly at my hardening shaft.
“Nope. Let me take care of you.” I lifted her and carried her over to the large, flat boulder at the edge of the spring before gathering up her clothes, handing them to her, and heading back to the water. I made quick work of soaping myself as I watched her, trying to ignore my now hard cock.
She balled up her panties and bra. “Damn, they’re filthy,” she mumbled as she stuck them into her coat pocket. She slipped on her clothes and sat on the boulder. “So tell me about your friends,” she said out of nowhere.
This was good. I could talk about them and get the attention off my throbbing arousal. “Well, Cutter’s like my little brother. He’s still a cub at heart.”
She laughed. “I can see that. I bet he’s a ladies’ man.”
“He seems to think he is,” I replied gruffly. “We’ve been close since we were cubs, and he’s been there for me every time I needed him. A regular goof, but he can still kick someone’s ass without a problem.” I waded out of the water, picking up my clothes along the way.
Her eyes zeroed in on my straining shaft before she loudly cleared her throat. “So there’s more to the man behind the smile,” she mused, combing her fingers through her hair, untangling the knots.
Standing before her, I put on my garments. “Pretty much.” There was no need to tell her behind Cutter’s charming persona was a straight-up, fierce, ruthless killer who would sacrifice his life to protect both me and her… my mate.
“What about Grant? He’s hiding something. I can tell.”
“Why would you think that?”
“It’s how I used to look at myself in the mirror every morning after bouncing around from one foster home to another.” Shoving her feet into her boots, she gritted out, “Acting like I was happy, when the loneliness and unhappiness were gnawing a hole in my damn stomach.”
