Page 24 of Big Lone Bear

Chapter Fifteen

After skating, they grabbed dinner in town, then took a walk down Main Street to look at all the Halloween decorations the store owners had displayed in their windows. It was quite obvious that neither of them wanted the night to be over.

“So, do you want to come back to my cabin for a drink?” Espie asked shyly. Her comfort around him had grown exponentially as the day went on, so she had no problem bringing him to her home. It wasn’t like she was taking him over to Miguel’s cabin and then up to the resort to meet her parents or anything. She wasn’t quite ready for that commitment. But she did want to spend more time with Luther in a place with limited distractions, and her cozy one-bedroom was a perfect place for that.

Besides, just because she’d asked him home didn’t mean she was planning to let him spend the night. If it happened, it would only occur because Espie wanted it to, and not because she felt obligated. Of course, after spending the day touching, kissing, talking and laughing, the idea of sex was in the forefront of her mind. It wouldn’t be far-fetched for her to conclude that letting Luther into her pants might be exactly what she was hoping for.

“This is a cute little place,” said Luther, after she’d given him a quick tour. The pair stood on her balcony off the bedroom for a few minutes, just looking over the railing toward the resort. “So, did you grow up right here, or do your parents actually own a house?”

“They have a house, yes, though we seldom ever saw it,” Espie answered. “They do practically live here, but we do have a big enough staff that they can leave for a few days if they want to.”

“Mmm,” Luther grunted as he shook his head. “And they have you working here, too. Do you like doing that?”

Espie shrugged. “I don’t mind it. I love being a part of something big, and helping to keep our family’s investment running smoothly is important to me. So, do you want white wine or red? I’ve got more than one kind in here.”

As she led Luther back inside, he scratched at the back of his neck briefly, then offered an impish little smirk. “Er…beer?”

“That I can do,” she told him, laughing. Given the number of men in her life, many of them close friends, the other being her brother, Espie’s fridge was always stocked with beer.

She pulled out two bottles and cracked them open on the counter’s edge, then set hers on the coffee table and handed the other one to Luther. The room was slightly chilled, so she quickly turned to build a fire in the hearth.

“Perfect,” Luther rumbled after a long sip of his drink. “Actually, it’s a bit…fruity?”

Espie snickered as she moved to join him on the couch. With his arm stretched out along the back of it, she fit right into place against him, snuggling up to his side before reaching for her drink.

“Just because I stock beer doesn’t mean it needs to be a man’s man kind of ale,” she fired back. “I like it a little sweet.”

“Because you’re so sweet?”

“I am not sweet,” Espie insisted, but he broke her serious façade when he nuzzled his warm face against the side of her neck.

“Yes, you are,” he murmured, and she gasped at the feel of his teeth against her skin. “Sweet, just like apple pie.”

Espie’s bark of laughter turned into a half-moan when he went from nipping to suckling at her neck, her eyes fluttering closed.

“Sweet and spicy,” Luther added. “You taste like cinnamon and you feel like…mine.”

Her sex clenched at his declaration, issuing in a guttural growl that she felt in her bones. All thoughts of drinks and conversation went out the window when he sucked hard on her neck, no doubt leaving a mark for all to see.

Grabbing both his drink and hers, she set them aside and finally threaded her fingers through his wavy locks, tugging at them hard when he nibbled at her collarbone. Luther glanced up with a snarl, eyes dark with lust, and Espie cupped his face and dragged it up to her lips.

They met like the crashing of two ships on the rocky seas, desperation making their motions frenzied but not clumsy. Espie had experienced the fumblings of boys in her teens. This was the first time she had been touched by a man, one with confidence and control.

Something she suddenly felt inclined to lose herself in.

***

“Luther, maybe we should…oh!” Espie let her head roll back when he cupped her between her thighs and rubbed, the feel of her wet heat on his palm driving him to madness. He hadn’t planned for this to happen.

He would have been happy to spend the night cuddled up together before the burning fire in the hearth, his soulmate in one hand and his beer in the other. All he’d wanted was to spend time with her. To get to know her. To understand her inside and out.

He had no preconceived notions of what he was owed from his fated mate; he’d meant what he’d said at the arena. There was nothing wrong with taking things one step at a time. And given his situation as a parent, which he’d been choosing to keep to himself, taking things slowly was probably a really good idea.

Not that Luther didn’t want to fuck Espie. He’d wanted to mount her and claim her right in front of everyone from their very first meeting in the park. That was all instinct, he knew, but the drive to mate with her haunted him day in and day out. But there was a human paired with the beast within her; he wanted to see to Espie’s human needs, her concerns and fears, before he let their beasts take over.

With the way she moaned, however, fears or concerns were obviously the last things on either of their minds.

She felt so good beneath him. Lacking some tact, Luther yanked her sweater up and over her head. The tag caught on her hair, which made her giggle and then she helped him remove the sweater, giving him a few seconds to stare at her gorgeous tits before yanking her bra aside to ravish her breasts with his mouth.

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