Page 111 of Grin and Bear It

“I know I am.”

I’d almost forgotten Cole was there and he looked brash and brittle at the same time when I turned around. But I moved closer, as he set his palette down, wondering just what he’d recorded.

“It’s still rough.” Cole tugged me down into his lap and I snuggled into him as I looked at his painting. “I need to do a lot more work on it for it to work, but…” He grabbed a brush with his free hand, dipping it into a peachy colour and then using it to sweep along the curve of the woman’s hip. “It’s a start.”

I stared at it. I could see it was still a work in progress. Colour had been applied in thick strokes, no attempt to blend, yet. But she was there, caught in a moment of ecstasy, frozen with her lips parted, her whole body straining on the cusp of something amazing.

She was me.

“This is what you think I looked like?” I asked him.

Cole’s arms tightened around me.

“This is the way you look. Fucking beautiful and taking her pleasure like a queen. My queen.”

A kiss was pressed into my neck, the prickle of his stubble making me squirm, which made me aware of the mess I was making. I tried to jump off his lap, sure I was staining his jeans with Tyson’s cum.

“I’m all messy,” I protested.

“Yeah?” He let me go, staring up at me with an evil gleam in his eyes. “I can help you clean that up if you like.”

I didn’t takehim up on his offer, sorting things out myself, then putting my clothes back on. Tyson and Cole escorted me back to his hot car, ready to take my home, but I paused when Cole opened the passenger side door for me.

“Is this what it’s going to be like?” I asked as he watched me closely, my focus split between the two men. “Like I’ll what..? Help the boys and then some of you will whisk them away, while I…”

“Take everything you want from us?” Cole finished for me, then nodded. Tyson ambled around, settling against the car beside me. “That’s how this shit works, right?”

“Right,” Tyson confirmed, then closed the gap between us. My lips were tilted upwards, presented for him to take. “Whatever you want, you just let us know.”

My mind stalled at that, unable to formulate a response as a million different scenarios, from the sweet to the salacious, flooded my brain and that had them chuckling.

“You just have to work out what it is you want,” Tyson said finally.

But as Iwalked in the front door, a door that swung freely now, I stopped and stared blankly at the house, not seeing all the shit anymore, just the shadows of it. Colleen walked out of the kitchen, smiling when she saw my expression.

“Someone looks like they’ve got a case of the dick dumbs. What’s up, love? They give it to you so good, you’ve lost the powers of thought and speech?”

“It’s always going to be this perfect, isn’t it?” My voice sounded thin and uncertain. “Like it can’t be, but…”

She smiled gently, walking towards me.

“Feels too good to be true, right?” I nodded gratefully, my feelings having a name now. “Like they can’t possibly be this good.” She grabbed my arms, giving them a squeeze. “But it can be. It will be.” She nodded her head. “That’s the thing about bear shifters. They’ll fuck up and make mistakes, just like any other man, but every day they’ll wake up trying to find new ways to be perfect for you, El. Perfect for you.”

I let out a sigh then, my bones feeling like rubber.

“But how do you cope with that?” I searched her face for answers. “Like nothing before this has prepared me for this kind of relationship. How do you deal with this?”

“You let them, silly,” she said, giving my shoulder a little shove. “You let them love you in the way you deserve.”

Chapter56

I woke up late the next morning and scrambled to get to school on time, but for some reason that didn’t seem to affect me. I breezed in the door like I had time to spare, feeling like I was floating on a cloud. I’d woken up to a ton of messages from the guys, each one wishing me a good morning, checking in to see if I was OK. There was no three anxious days waiting around to see if this was to become more than just a one time thing. The guys were here, present, eager. I was reading a particularly cute message when June found me.

“Ellie.” I stopped where I was, looking up reluctantly, not wanting this sweet, golden bubble to pop, especially when I saw the thin line of June’s lips. “Just getting in?” I went to reply but she shook her head in irritation. “We have your performance review this week and I’ve organised time on Thursday after school. You can let your nominated representative know about the time.”

The guys in my staffroom had hassled me to pick Michelle, the union rep, and I was glad now that I’d listened.

“Of course. Thanks for letting me know.”

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