Chapter Thirty
Once everyone shifted back to human, got cleaned up, and dressed, we gathered inside the Stepchild.
It was meant to be a celebration. Synamon was a star, no matter if she had a paid audience or if it was her friends fawning over her.
She hadn’t left Jen’s side since we came into the club.
The other performers gathered around her.
Even Bibi le Bonnet couldn’t take her eyes off her.
My mate was magnetic, but more than that, she was resilient. No one would ever know that someone had attacked her just hours before.
She needs you now more than ever, my bear said. She doesn’t know what it’s like to live unapologetically free.
I knew a thing or two about that. Like her, I’d traded it for safety. Security.
But as everyone came up to congratulate me, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d failed her. I didn’t listen to my instincts when I knew something about that call was off. I should’ve never left Synamon alone. The Centerfold Slasher would not be on the loose if I’d stayed by her side.
I scanned the room, and found Bishop sitting by himself at the bar. I took the stool next to his.
“Missed working with you,” he said before taking a sip of his beer. “You’re building something great here.”
“It’s a lot different from our part of the forest.” I flagged the bartender. I’d spent enough off-duty time here in the past that he knew my order without me having to tell him. “How are things there?”
Bishop chuckled. “Same as ever. People who want to get lost, and people who can’t handle getting lost. Nothing like here.”
“Wait. You like it here better?” I asked. Bishop had never been comfortable with human constructs.
“Not necessarily better. It’s different. But the town is full of shifters, beautiful women.” His gaze floated to the Bearlesque performers. “Still plenty of space when you need it. Wait a minute, do you like it here?”
I was about to tell him about all the times I’d dreamed of going back. Bitch about rules.
Bishop furrowed his brow. “Wait, you don’t?”
But that was when I realized, I wouldn’t trade this place for anything. Those rules that came with this gig were challenges. I needed those. And now I needed to teach my mate how to be wild.
My bear snickered. More like, she’ll show you a thing or two.
Before I had a chance to fully formulate my answer, Barrett came over to us and offered me his hand.
“Got to admit, I had doubts about this case. But you were so convinced this was the right thing. You listened to your instincts even when logic told you no. And they were right, because this case became much bigger than I ever expected. That’s a hell of an asset.”
“Thank you. There were times I didn’t know if I’d have a job at the end of this.” I chuckled, relief cutting through the nerves.
“Oh, you have a job.” Barrett jerked his head in the direction of the Bearlesque crew.
“Our security workload just skyrocketed. I need someone with boots on the ground, who looks for things I would never think of. No one else on the team can do this—so I’ll love to have you head this unit.
Have some bears working with you. High profile. Fast paced. Perfect for you.”
“You’re promoting me?” That was not how I ever expected this case to end.
“Absolutely. This was why I wanted to give you a chance to lead, Brad—to see what you were made of. You passed, with flying colors.”
I was caught so off-guard I didn’t see Synamon approach.
“Sounds like congratulations are in order. We need to celebrate,” she said as she wrapped her arms around me, swaying back and forth. She kissed my cheek then whispered in my ear, “alone.”
Bishop laughed. “Talk to you later, dude.”
Barrett nodded. “Come straight to my office in the morning. We’ll iron out details.”
The parking lot was eerily quiet when we walked out of the Stepchild, hand in hand. The only clue there had been a riot and a takedown were the debris that the crew hadn’t had a chance to clean up yet.
“The sky is so beautiful out here,” Synamon said as I drove. “I feel like I could reach out and touch the stars.”
“Mmmm.”
She nudged my arm. “Seems like you’re somewhere else. Are you okay?”
“Are you?”
She let out a sigh. “For now, yeah. Probably still in denial about what went down tonight. But I’m really excited about the show. I think we’ve put a great group together, and we’re about to create something epic.”
I glanced at her. “So you’re staying in Granger Falls?”
Her mouth dropped. “Why wouldn’t I? Bearlesque is here.” She put her hand on my thigh. “You’re here. You thought we were done because the case is closed?”
“Guess I’m in my head about what happened tonight.”
“I don’t understand--the part where you took down a crime ring that kept slipping through the cracks because they were fancy suits and have important daddies, or when your boss just gave you a huge promotion?”
“When you put it like that, sounds better.” I laughed, but sobered quickly. “I guess I’m wondering if you’ll still choose me when things aren’t dangerous and dramatic.”
“Pull this truck over right now.”
I did as Synamon Honey demanded,
“Look at me,” she said as I slid the gear into park.
She was so beautiful, illuminated only by the dashboard lights and the moon.
“Why did you fight so hard for me?”
I swallowed hard. “Because you’re my mate.”
She nodded. “There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side during this new chapter, Brad. No one on earth. Because, bear, we are fated to be together.” She leaned in and kissed me softly. “I have bad news for you about the drama though, because that’s not going anywhere.”
“Good.”
“Seriously, if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be pretending to be someone I wasn’t, pretending I was happy about it in my sad little apartment, clinging to that job because I thought I’d die without it. Or, I’d be dead because my ex would have...” She shook her head as her words trailed off.
I took her face in my hands. “I will never leave your side again. You’re stuck with me, Synamon Honey.”
“Good.” Her lips curled into a smile. “No one I’d rather be stuck with in a cabin. Or a closet. Maybe we should reenact that one—if we weren’t lying to ourselves that first night.”
“I like that.” I leaned in to kiss her, and I had a feeling we weren’t going to get as far as a closet or even the cabin tonight.
My lips met hers, soft, saying all the things we didn’t have words for tonight. Synamon didn’t think I’d fucked things up, or put her in danger. And she still wanted me. Not because she needed me. Not because her life was on the line.
She moaned as I slid my hands into her hair. My heart pounded. We were on the side of the road and I wasn’t sure I could stop myself. I wasn’t sure my mate wanted me to stop.
It was wild and so fucking hot. My cock strained against my jeans and Synamon put her hands on my chest and broke away from the kiss.
I growled, and she laughed. “The big, bad bear is hungry.”
“You have no idea.”
“Oh, I do.” Her voice had a hint of a growl, and her gaze slid to my lap. “Can you still drive?”
“Think so.”
“Take me to the forest.”
“Why?” Whatever she was getting at, she needed to do it quick, because my brain was starting to short circuit.
“Because I want you wild.” Her lips curled into a wicked grin. “We don’t have to follow someone else’s rules anymore. We don’t have to hide. And I want to watch you come when you’re lying in moss and lit only by moonlight. Are you in, bear?”
I put the truck into drive and turned toward Bald Mountain. It took everything I had to focus. My mate wanted me wild, and I’d give her exactly what she wanted.
The road turned to dirt, and I pulled over. Leaning in for one more hungry kiss, I got out of the truck and took her by the hand.
“This is one of my favorite places to run,” I said as I led her to the bridge that crossed the creek. A brisk gurgle of water slipped over the rocks beneath the bridge. “The trails are endless and the landscape is always changing.”
“I can’t wait for you to show me all of it. If you haven’t noticed, my bear instincts aren’t as sharp as yours. You need to teach me.”
“You can teach me a thing or two about being wild, Synamon Honey.”
“Oh, I will.” She took both my hands in hers and pulled me toward the trail. “When we get to the place, don’t tell me. Not with words, okay?”
A rumble vibrated in my throat, and I quickened my pace. There was a place just up ahead, a cute moss-filled alcove with a canopy of pine and aspen.
I pulled her aside when we got to it, taking her mouth as my hands slid under her sweatshirt, pushing it up over her head. We only broke the kiss long enough to get it over her head. She tugged at my shirt, and I finished the task, then let it drop to the ground.
“You’re so fucking hot, Brad.” Her gaze raked over my bare chest. “The only thing that got me through those first couple days in the cabin was watching you work out from my window. Even if I felt like a creep doing it.”
“Wait, you were watching me?” I put my hand on her shoulders and gently guided her to the rock. “Like I watched you on Only Bears?”
“Mmmmm,” she replied as I sunk to my knees.
The smell of her arousal was enough to drive me fucking insane. I slid the sweatpants down her legs, tossed them aside, then took her shoes off. “Show me what you’d do when you watched me.”
“You play dirty, bear.” But Synamon had every intention of making all my dreams come true. She opened her legs in a rhythmic manner, using nature as her soundtrack, and jutted her hips forward. Flattening her palm, she slid it over her belly and cupped her mound.
Her eyes closed for a long blink before her fingers started to move, circling her clit slowly, intentionally, showing exactly what to do to send her over the edge. Certain spots got more attention, and her mouth parted.