Page 17 of Poke the Bear

I wanted to be the first, to show her how good it would be. All of my knowledge was of course, theoretical, but the mums and grandmas of the bear shifter community sat us all down when we were teenagers and explained how to please our women. Having my nana explain what dominance and submission was, and the power exchange that took place, still gave me nightmares, but it meant this.

I could ignore the steady throb in my dick, one that had become extra achy now I had her in my bed. My baculum, the bone in my dick, was readying itself to jet out the minute I got inside her. But not yet. Her pleasure first, that was made clear, so I dropped back down onto the bed, hanging over my girl and just stared at her.

“What?”

I didn’t know Freya yet, but I was learning her. She flushed then, like she had a few times. I liked the pretty way it made her cheeks go pink, but… Something or someone had made her think she wasn’t worth a second look and I vowed to change that.

“Just looking,” I said, keeping my tone light. “I was sneaking looks all night and now there’s no one to bust me at it.” I dropped down on my elbows, watching her pupils blow wide. “Now I can look all I like.”

“You didn’t want to, because everyone was looking at you.” Her tone flattened then, the light dimming in her eyes.

“I didn’t want to because this feels special, private, just for us.” I reached across and stroked her hair back from her forehead, feeling the silky slip of it between my fingers. “I didn’t want the moment when I stared at my girl like a gormless twit being memorialised on a state wide simulcast. But I will. If that’s what you need, I’ll go downstairs and walk straight up to the camera.”

“Oh god, no…” she said, starting to squirm.

“I’ll run around the lobby, shouting to everyone who’ll listen that I’m gonna come right back to this room and spend the night with you. I’ll—”

She placed her fingers against my lips and I smiled, then pressed a kiss into them.

“No, no, this is fine.” She looked around herself, as if seeing the room for the first time, but when her focus shifted back to me, I felt it like a punch to the gut. “This is good.”

Her hands pushed my jacket open and I reared back then, tearing the apparently quite expensive rental off and tossing it on the floor. She followed me up, taking over unbuttoning my shirt and that’s when I heard the hiss of her breath.

I was damn proud of my body on most days, but right now? I was glad for every fucking punishing training session, because it made my body hard and strong for her. She paused midway down the shirt, forcing me to look down, but then I saw that look. Wide-eyed, her lips parted and a cute little crease formed before she quickly undid every other button. Then as her fingers slid over my abs muscles I may have flexed just a little for her, I pulled my shirt off.

The bear growled his approval. Our mate liked our body, we could smell that in her sweet scent. It was thick and syrupy, just like she would be when we were done with her. I stayed right where I was, letting her touch, explore, almost afraid of scaring her off, when her fingernails scratched over one nipple. My hips jerked, the feeling making my dick lurch, a helpless little jet of pre-cum spurting out, which forced me to cover her hand and bring her knuckles to my lips.

“This isn’t about me,” I told her. “It’s all about you.”

And I moved forward, ready to slide one scarlet strap down, then the other, undoing her zip and—

“And what if I want to touch you?” The little minx, she jerked her eyebrow up and smirked. “I mean if it is my first time…”

“Unless you want this over before it’s even started, we need to do things my way.” I grabbed her wrists and used them to pin her against the bed. “Let me make you feel good.” I proved my point, kissing along her jaw and then down her neck. She let out a little noise of pleasure, tilting her head to one side to give me greater access. “Let me do all the things I’ve been dreaming about.”

Wrong words, dickhead.

I was too fucking caught up in her now, the bear and me moving like one. We needed to please her, sate our mate over and over. We needed to prove how good we would be for her and it seemed to be working. As my lips worked their way down to her collarbone, I felt her breasts press against me, full and soft, but then she froze.

“Dreaming about…?”

Her voice was weak and thin, her scent souring just a little.

The bear roared his displeasure at me. He let me be in control, as long as I didn’t fuck shit up and this was fucking it up. He lunged at the barrier between us, intent on getting out in a space that would barely be able to contain him, but I held firm. I pulled back and met Freya’s eyes.

“You,” I replied, as honestly as I dared. “I dreamed of you.” I was losing her, I could see it in the tension in her body, the curious look. “I didn’t see you clearly. You were just a feeling, a glimpse, but somehow I knew.”

“Knew what?” Hope and wariness were fighting a war inside her, and I needed hope to win.

“Knew that you’d be the one for me. This feels right.” I wrapped my fingers with hers. “I think you feel that too.”

“But how…?” she said and I just shrugged.

“How does anything ever happen? The gods, luck, or just coincidence, I dunno. It’s just like sport.” She smiled then, somewhat indulgently. “Every single team is filled with talented guys, ones that work hard, train hard to get on that field, but sometimes… The same player could become part of something bigger than themselves in the right team, or turn to shit in another. Sometimes the right people just come together.”

I grinned then and she did the same, despite herself.

“Are you going to come together with me, Freya?”

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