23
Cedric was drowning. Drowning in his feelings for Bethany. Drowning in his love for her.
It was one thing to feel attraction for a woman in bed, but having her in the barn with him, working beside him, it was something else entirely.
He had known from the start that she was an independent woman who could take care of herself, knew how to hunt and fish and work hard and get dirty, but tending farm animals was neither easy or clean work. When he had begun scooping the floor of the chicken coop, she had grabbed a shovel immediately and got to work beside him, without question. He hadn”t expected anything from her, as five seconds before she”d had a hand full of dried corn and was calling all of the hens pretty girls, but now here she was, shoveling chicken shit.
And he was in fucking love.
She had watched him while he milked Dorothy, and he could tell she was thinking awful hard while he worked, but there was no telling what was on her mind, so he had tried to ignore it. Now, he was the one thinking hard, wondering what his checking on his cow had made her think about, now that cleaning a chicken coop had him thinking how much he loved her.
They didn”t talk as they worked, until he had pointed out where the fresh hay was for her to scatter on the ground while he took the dirty hay to the compost bin they kept during winter to lay down once the snow had melted, and she hadn”t complained once. When he had returned, there was a fresh layer on the ground and she was filling the chicken feeder and petting the girls once more, each of them greedily eating from her hands while she loved on them.
Bethany was made to live on a farm. Made to spend her days laying in the field with farm animals around her, seeking her attention. He could understand the sentiment—he felt the same way about Bethany.
Craved her attention, her praise, and her gentle touch.
Fuck, and to think, he was going to put a cub in her and watch her raise their child with the same strong and gentle care she was showing the animals.
He was already head over heels, but the second he saw a hammer in her hand, he knew he was done for. She was the one to realize one of the boards around the window sill in the chicken coop was coming loose, and before he could even comment how many times they had hammered it in place, she had gone searching among the tools and returned with a few longer nails than he would normally use and a hammer. He had watched, amazed, as she popped two of the nails between her lips while hammering the third into place, swinging the hammer with a practiced ease.
By the time she was done, he knew the warped piece wasn”t popping off any time soon, and he was never going to survive if he lost her.
Bethany was a woman who could do anything. She was truly independent, self-sufficient, self-reliant, and clearly didn”t need a man to help her with anything. When she had talked about her future, she had never mentioned finding a partner in life to stand beside her, and while Cedric knew from being raised by a single woman that women could do anything they set their minds to, life on the edge of nowhere was not easy. Women never stayed long in Bear Valley if they were unattached, finding the rough and harsh conditions too much to face alone.
But not Bethany. She needed no one but herself.
It hurt a little, to realize there was nothing he could do to make her life any better or easier, and that she truly had no need of a man by her side.
And yet, he was also turned on, watching the woman he desperately loved prove to him that she could survive the rugged life he lived. He would never have to worry about her being in the cabin alone, unable to do something if he wasn”t there. She could more than take care of herself, and in time, their child as well.
There was something undeniably sexy about a woman like that, even if he knew mentally that it meant she would never need him.
The itchy urge to shift into his bear form was clawing up his neck, and he knew that if he didn”t shift soon, he would either say or do something he didn”t mean. Most likely, if he got her inside quickly, it would mean rough sex on the living room floor, but he had already fucked her like that the night before and didn”t want to harm her with his actions less than twenty-four hours later by attempting a repeat.
A run was just what he needed, to feel the snow beneath his paws while he burned the pent up energy, and returned to her a softer, slightly exhausted, version of the man he wanted her to see.
“Think we”re about done out here, if you”re ready to head in,” Cedric commented as he closed the lid on the feed bucket. Last thing he needed was the fluffy butts to flutter their way into the feed and engorge themselves. “But I”m going to head out for a run first.”
“A run?” she asked, now straightening up and dusting her hands on her pants. “You mean, as a bear?”
“Yup. Need to check for any downed trees from the storm, spread my scent to ward off any animals wandering the perimeter, that sort of thing.”
And burn his excess energy off.
“Can I watch?” Bethany”s question was a little breathless, and he noticed her cheeks turning red.
He didn”t know why she wanted to watch, but he wasn”t going to tell her no. “Sure. You can feel free to touch me after I shift. It”s still me in there. Nothing to fear, if you were wondering.”
She nodded her head a little and approached him as he began to peel off his layers, setting them all down on the work table as he did so. His shirt joined his coat, and then his pants and his socks, until only his boots were left on the floor, and he was naked.
He was not going to be embarrassed by how hard his cock was, but he was feeling a little vulnerable as she watched him.
He had never before shifted in front of someone who couldn”t also shift, and something about that made him feel nervous. Like she was analyzing him. Studying him.
Cedric took a deep breath and felt the change take over, shifting him easily from a man into a bear. Fur pushed out of his skin, his upper body fell forward onto his forepaws, and he felt himself expand into his much larger bear form. It didn”t hurt anymore, although it had ached like growing pains in his younger years, and he turned his head to look at Bethany, ready for her to approach.
Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open, but he could smell no scent of fear or anxiety in the air. That was good, at least, but he could only stand there staring at her for so long before he would start to worry. He took the first step towards her, lowering his head as he did so, and she closed the distance, standing beside his shoulder and stroking his fur much in the same way she had when petting Dorothy. With each pass of her hand, her touch grew a little stronger, and he shook himself out as her nails combed through his fur, the sensation divine.
She startled slightly and took a step back, but Cedric turned his head to nuzzle against her arm and assure her she was okay. His snout touching her had her giggling, and she moved her hands to his face, running her knuckles up the bridge of his snout, and then stroking between his ears.
Fucking hell, he loved the way she touched him, both as a man and as a bear. He could grow used to this, and would gladly spend hours with her petting his fur, but if he didn”t leave now, he was liable to knock her onto the ground and shift back into human form to ravage her on the dirty barn floor.
After a few more pets, he backed up slightly, knocking over one of his boots and jostling the table in the process, but she seemed to get the idea. Bethany unlatched the barn door, something he had forgotten before shifting, as he normally would have done it at his front door instead, and he pushed the door open with his bear weight. Once he was through, he pushed the barn door closed, and waited as she latched it, then stepped through the side door they used while in human form.
While she could walk to the house by herself, he wasn”t going to go running off just yet. Instead, he walked beside her as she tugged on her gloves and made the trek back to his front door. It was only once the door was closed behind her that he finally turned, intent on heading as far as he could without getting winded, and then pushing himself to continue running back. That was sure to have him exhausted by his return, and then he would love her slowly and fuck her with the gentle touch she needed after the night before.
The snow felt good underneath his paws, and the wind only slightly ruffled his hair as he kept pushing himself across the open field and into the trees. The scent of deer, rabbit, and foxes were all in the air, but he could smell no other bears, save for his brothers of course, and no mountain lions or something else which could be a danger to Bethany. It was rare that any ever ventured close to the house, as the scent of bear pheromones was a thick warning, but he also wouldn”t risk her safety by not doing his duty. He continued his run, reaching the river and then following along it, until he was far past the houses and the barn, and began making his way back.
Fuck. The way she had touched his fur, the way she had watched him while she worked, the way she had easily handled both a hammer and a shovel, how she had nuzzled his cow and fed his chickens, how she had washed her hair in the shower, and washed him as well...
Bethany was a woman like no other. A woman who needed no one and nothing save for herself. A woman who deserved only good things, and to be showered with praise and love.
He was the luckiest fucking bear in the world to have her in his life, and to know they would create a child together, that she would raise their child to be like herself...
Anything and everything. That was what he would do to prove to her that she could trust him. That was what he would do to show her his love for her. That was what he wanted from her. Anything and everything.
By the time he reached sight the cabin, the smoke was coming out strong from the chimney, telling him that Bethany had built up the fire in his absence, another sign that she didn”t need him in the slightest and could take care of herself. It only fueled him further, until he was shifting into his human form while he climbed the front steps, and shoved both the exterior and interior door open, forgetting his clothes that were still in the barn.
Even with his heart pounding in his chest and his heavy exhausted breathing, he needed her in his arms immediately, and needed to show her just how desperate he was to touch her once more.
Bethany stood up and turned from where she had been sitting on the couch, and before he could even move towards her, she was rushing around it, tugging her shirt over her head as she went and tossing it to the ground. He only had half a second to shove the door behind him closed, and then he had his arms full of her, her legs wrapping around his waist as she jumped up, clearly expecting him to catch her. He did so with ease and lifted her up higher in his arms, his hands settled underneath her ass.
Neither of them spoke before he kissed her and strolled into the cabin, carrying her back to where she had been a few minutes earlier, intent on taking her on the couch.
No. No, with the way he needed her right now, they would end up damaging the couch, and while he was a skilled craftsman, he wouldn”t be able to fix the piece to the point it would still hold his weight after he was done with her.
He sank down onto one knee before lifting her down from his arms to set her on the floor, and she laid back immediately and began shoving her pants down her hips. He joined her on both knees, and tugged her underwear down as well before moving between her thighs. She was still wearing both her socks and her bra, but his cock was hard and he could taste her desire in the air, so there was no time to wait. He was inside of her before he leaned down to kiss her again, and she gasped as he filled her up, but didn”t pull away.
He wanted to ask if she was okay, if he should go slow or if she was uncomfortable, but her hands were already in his hair, tugging at the root as she rocked her hips in his hands, trying to pull him deeper. He kept his thrusts evenly spaced, to every beats of his racing heart, but each one was deep, lifting her hips off the floor slightly with every move. Her feet were braced into the floor, as though trying to lift herself up slightly, so his hands moved up to her waist as he straightened up, and pulled her with him.
Bethany”s arms wrapped around his shoulders as he spread his thighs, her weight now fully supported by him, and he lifted her up and down on his length. The position was awkward, but she was kissing him, which was the only thing that kept him from flipping her onto her hands and knees so he could fuck her hard.
Fuck, the last thing he should be doing was fucking her like he had the night before, except that was what he desperately wanted to do.
Her nails dug into his shoulders and he kissed her again, long and hard. They were breathing each other in between kisses, their lips never disconnecting, and he opened his eyes to see her lashes fluttering. He kept them open, watching as she then opened her eyes fully as well, and they stared at one another, mouths still touching but not kissing, as he kept lifting her up and down on his length, so fucking deep inside of her he thought he would split her open.
Her body shifted slightly in his arms, and she groaned a little, and he looked down to see one of her legs, which were bent at an awkward angle, had slipped on the floor, telling him their current position couldn”t last. He kissed her again before lifting her off his cock and turned her over onto all fours.
The clasp of her bra was right there, and he reached forward, snapping it open. He reached around to grasp her breast with one hand while he used the other to line his cock up, and slid into her slowly before allowing his now empty hand to join the other, pinching her nipples as he resumed fucking her.
Bethany cried out his name as he started going, the only word she had said since he returned from his run, and he groaned as he kept going, feeling her start to tighten around his cock. She was on edge already, but he wouldn”t make her orgasm without her clit being touched like the night before, so he let go of her breasts to move his hands lower, one to her hips to help stabilize him while the other dipped below her belly and to where they were joined. Her clit was swollen under his touch, and she shrieked almost immediately as he slid two fingers around the sensitive bud, rubbing in time with his thrusts.
One arm gave out, and then the other, so her face was on the floor. She was steadier now, and he kept going with both his hips and his fingers, knowing she was already close. Only his speed changed, moving faster and faster until he felt like he was still out there running himself into the ground. Her screams came a half second before he felt her tighten on his length, and then he was blowing his load with her, unable to hold himself back anymore. He had been on edge from the moment he walked in the door, but if she had her pleasure, then he would allow himself to let go as well.
His growls vibrated through the house with her screams, and he kept going, his body slapping against hers with each thrust as he tried to keep going, until finally his body gave out, his cock began to soften, and he could hold himself up no longer.
Cedric pulled out before rolling onto his side on the floor beside Bethany, with only the sound of their moans and their racing hearts filling the air.
No words were spoken, even as she rolled onto her side and pressed her back against his chest, curling against him.
With her once again in his arms, the nervous energy he had felt since she asked him to shift in front of her began to fade, and he could relax once more.
Both bear and man loved this woman. And she wasn”t afraid to touch either form.
His last thought, as he closed his eyes and soaked in the warmth of both the fire and the woman who had built it, was that all he had left was to convince her that she could love him in return.
One day at a time. That was something they had plenty of. Time.