Page 38 of Bear

She snorted. “Not telling me about the fight.”

“I was going to. But you were so worried already and I didn’t want to make it worse.”

Shelby hummed. She smoothed her hand up my spine, her fingers gently curving around the back of my neck.

“So,” I ventured. “You’re not mad about the fight?”

“Oh, believe me, I’m not happy about that either.” She shook her head. “But Justin has been a very unhappy man for a long time. He was just waiting for a chance to take it out on someone and give him the fight he’s always wanted. That person happened to be you.”

I said nothing, idly swirling my hand through the water. It had been nearly red a few minutes ago, but I’d drained it and refilled the tub. Now the water was clean, warm, and soothing.

“I don’t regret what I did but…I do regret that you saw it.”

Shelby went still. She shifted on the edge of the bathtub until she was in front of me.

“Why?”

“The look on your face when I was in the cage,” I said. “The horror. The…fear. I never wanted you to be afraid of me. I never wanted you to wonder if one day I would step out of that cage and turn on you.”

“Bear,” Shelby said softly, placing her hand against my cheek. “I have never thought that about you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You haven’t?”

“No. When I saw you in that fight, I was scared to lose you. I hated that you felt it was the only solution available. Yes, I was afraid, but not of you. I was afraid that I would lose the good man I have come to love. The same good man who treated my daughter better than her own father ever has.”

Shelby dipped her head and kissed my shoulder, her lips soft, her breath warm. I slid my finger under her chin and lifted her head just enough to brush a kiss against the corner of her mouth. Then I moved my hands down to Shelby’s hips, leaned back in the tub, and pulled her down on top of me. She sucked in a breath of surprise as she splashed into the water.

I slipped my hand under her soaked shirt, squeezing her breast as I licked into her mouth. Every inch of my body was sore, but the need to be inside her was stronger. I pulled back just far enough to speak.

“Why are you still dressed?”

“Because you’re supposed to be resting,” Shelby countered.

“I’ll do that later,” I replied, tugging her shirt off over her head.

She hurried to get rid of her wet jeans and panties, dropping them over the edge of the tub with a damp slap on the floor. I reached around her to unhook her bra and when her breasts spilled free, I couldn’t hold back a moan.

Shelby laughed softly and straddled my lap. She cupped her hand to the back of my head, guiding my mouth down to her breasts.

“If that’s the only thing you wanted, all you had to do was say so,” she said.

I flicked my tongue over her nipple, pinching lightly with my teeth until she gasped. Then I slid my hands away from her hips and cupped her ass, grabbing fistfuls of her soft flesh. I dragged her core back and forth over my cock, rapidly growing harder by the second.

“There are other things I want, too,” I said.

“Well.” Shelby trailed her hand down my shoulder, planting her palm against my chest. She wrapped her other hand around my cock, pumping up and down the length. “You did win the match tonight. And judging by the looks of you, I’d say you deserve a reward for all your hard work.”

Before I could reply, Shelby leaned forward and pressed her lips to my neck, dragging her tongue over my pulse. My eyes fluttered closed at the soft, wet heat of her mouth. She licked and sucked and nipped at my neck until my cock throbbed in her hand. Then she lined my length up to her entrance and sank down.

“Fuck, Shelby,” I rasped, tipping my head back.

I felt her smile against my skin. When she shifted in my lap, water sloshed over the tub’s edge and spilled onto the floor. Neither of us cared.

Slowly, Shelby rolled her hips, gliding up and down my shaft. The head of my cock dragged along every inch of her, teasing just inside her pussy and then buried deep.

I sat up, wrapping my arms around Shelby. She was so soft and warm and slick, her tits pressed against my chest as she gazed down at me. I mouthed at her skin, tasting the sweetness of her skin as I peppered kisses across her collarbones, over the pillowy tops of her breasts.

When I thrust up into her, Shelby’s head bucked back. She let out a moan that echoed in the small space of the bathroom. That sound made me snap my hips up into her, again and again, craving more, craving everything she could give me. Her fingernails dug into my biceps as she clung to me.

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