Chapter Fifteen – Doreen
What just happened?
The question had echoed through Doreen’s mind as she stood in the moonlit garden. When James asked her to go home with him, she had never expected this.
How could she? A man—James—shifting into a bear. A creature of pure power and primal instinct.
And yet… she had seen it with her own eyes.
At first, Doreen’s thoughts had spiraled as she struggled to reconcile the impossible with the familiar. The cold air had seeped into her bones as an owl hooted in the distance.
She should have been terrified. Any normal person would have been. But something deep inside her, perhaps a primal part of herself, told her she was safe.
Then he touched her. Gently. Softly.
And she’d been…unafraid.
Because she knew. Knew with every fiber of her being that this bear was James. They were one and the same.
And they were hers.
It was as if all the feelings, the deep emotions she’d experienced whenever he was near, made sense now.
“You’re shivering.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders, and she welcomed his warmth.
“I am,” she admitted quietly. “But I’m not afraid. Not of you.”
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that,” he said, turning her around and guiding her back toward the cabin, which was all in darkness.
Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, her body betraying how the cold had seeped deep into her bones. James pulled her closer against his side, his warmth a stark contrast to the biting night air.
When they reached the cabin’s porch, he swept her up without warning, cradling her against his chest. Doreen instinctively nestled into him, drawn to his heat and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Inside, the darkness gave way to soft light as James carried her to the sofa. He settled her down gently before grabbing a thick blanket from nearby, tucking it around her with surprising tenderness for hands so large.
“Don’t move,” he murmured, disappearing from her sight.
She clutched the blanket tight, eyes following him across the room where he kneeled at the fireplace. Within moments, a small flame flickered to life under his careful attention, growing steadily until the fire roared, casting dancing shadows across the walls.
Only then did he turn back to her. “Tea? Or something stronger?”
He crossed over to her, pressing the back of his hand against her forehead. Doreen caught it in hers, pressing her lips to his skin. A visible shiver ran through him before he leaned down, his lips brushing her cheek with a gentleness that made her breath catch.
“Something stronger,” she said and cupped his face in her hands.
She leaned in and pressed her lips against his.
The touch was gentle at first, tentative, but then something ignited between them.
Heat blossomed low in her stomach, spreading through her body like wildfire, warming places that had been cold for too long.
Her fingers slid into his hair, and she felt rather than heard his soft groan against her mouth.
Who needed tea? This was better than any remedy she could imagine. His arms encircled her, strong yet gentle, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened.
Then, almost reluctantly, James broke away. His eyes were dark, pupils dilated as he studied her face. “I should...” he began, his voice rough. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I’ll get that tea.”
He stood, his movements slightly unsteady. His fingertips brushed her cheek in a feather-light caress before he turned and walked toward the kitchen area.
Doreen sank back against the couch cushions, her heart still racing.
She closed her eyes, listening to the comforting sounds of him moving around—cabinets opening, water running, the quiet clink of mugs being set on the counter.
There was something profoundly soothing about knowing he was there, just a few steps away. That she was safe. With him.
Forever, if she wanted.
The thought startled her, and her eyes flew open. She didn’t need protecting. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She had been doing it for years, hadn’t she?
Doreen recognized this defensive reaction for exactly what it was, a knee-jerk response born from old fears. She was fighting against the very idea of needing someone, of being vulnerable enough to let someone in. Even though deep down, she could think of nothing better than being James’s mate.
Mate. The word resonated through her like a bell being struck.
Just as Sorcha was Christopher’s mate.
She sat up straight, the realization hitting her with sudden clarity. So that’s what had been behind Sorcha’s whirlwind romance!
“Here you go.” James appeared in the doorway, holding a steaming mug of tea. His eyes were warm, a tentative smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he crossed the room to her.
Doreen accepted the cup, breathing in the delicate floral scent. Chamomile, as she’d expected. Soothing. Calming. Everything she didn’t feel at this moment with revelations cascading through her mind.
“Thank you,” she said, letting her fingers brush against his as she took the mug. “James, I think I understand something now.”
He settled beside her, careful to leave a respectful distance between them. “What’s that?”
“Sorcha and Christopher…they’re like us, aren’t they? He’s a shifter too. And she’s his mate.”
James’s eyebrows rose in surprise, then he nodded slowly. “Yes. Christopher is a bear shifter, like me. And Sorcha is his mate. They found each other when she came to stay at the cabins.”
“That’s why she changed so quickly,” Doreen murmured, more to herself than to him. “Why she suddenly wanted to stay in Bear Creek when she always swore small towns would be the death of her. It wasn’t just love…it was something more.”
“So much more,” James admitted.
“Tell me,” Doreen said.
“Where do I start?” he asked, voice low and raw.
“The beginning,” she said. “Who are you really, James Pike?”
And he told her.
About being born a shifter. About learning to control the bear inside him when he experienced his first shift as a teenager.
About his friends—Christopher, Michael, Daniel—and the shifter community within the town.
He spoke with caution, watching her carefully, ready to stop the moment she flinched.
She didn’t.
When he spoke of the mate bond, his voice dropped to something barely there. “It’s not something that forces you to love another person. It just… recognizes you as the person you are meant to spend your life with.”
Recognizes her.
The vulnerability in his confession hit her deeply. He was offering her truth, with no expectations.
Doreen shared her truth in return. Walt’s betrayal. The years of doubt. The way she’d learned to shrink herself because the alternative hurt too much. How James had overturned all of that without trying. How he made her feel… Like herself again.
“I would never hurt you like that,” he said, and it wasn’t a grand promise; it was a quiet, solid truth. From a quiet, solid man.
“I know,” she whispered, surprised by how easily the words came.
She touched his jaw, feeling the faint stubble, the warmth beneath her fingertips. His breath hitched. His eyes darkened.
“I want this,” she said. “I want you.”
Emotion rippled across his face…relief, hope, wonder. He cupped her cheek, thumb brushing gently along her skin, asking with his eyes if she was sure.
She answered with her kiss.
When he hesitated, she pulled him closer, choosing him again and again until the tension eased from his shoulders and something deeper took its place…trust.
Trust that the shock of seeing him shift and the bitter cold hadn’t addled her brain.
“Doreen,” he whispered against her lips. “I need to know you’re certain. That you know exactly what you are doing.”
She smiled softly and guided his hand to her heartbeat. “I am. And I do.”
He groaned, the sound rumbling deep in his chest as his control finally snapped.
His mouth crashed onto hers with fierce hunger, claiming her with a primal intensity that sent fire racing through her veins.
This wasn’t the gentle, careful James she’d come to know…
this was something wilder, something unleashed.
And Doreen loved it.
Her fingers found the hem of his sweater, tugging impatiently until he broke their kiss just long enough to help her strip it away.
His T-shirt followed, tossed carelessly aside as her hands explored the expanse of his bare chest, reveling in the hard planes of muscle beneath warm skin.
When her fingers found his nipples and tweaked gently, he made that sound again—half growl, half moan—that vibrated through her very core.
His hand slid to the nape of her neck, tangling in her hair as he reclaimed her mouth. The blanket fell away from her body as his other hand slipped beneath her sweater, his thumb brushing across her nipple in a teasing caress that made her gasp against his lips.
She squirmed beneath him, suddenly desperate to feel his skin against hers.
With a boldness that surprised her, she pushed him back just enough to create space between them, then stripped off her own clothes, her eyes never leaving his.
The naked hunger in his gaze as he watched her made her feel powerful, desired in a way she’d never experienced before.
When she was bare before him, Doreen held his gaze in silent invitation.
Something shifted in his expression—something ancient and knowing—as he moved toward her with the fluid grace of a predator.
The bear in him seemed to shimmer just beneath his skin, lending his movements a dangerous elegance that made her breath catch.
His hands found her breasts, strong fingers caressing with surprising gentleness before he lowered his head and drew one nipple into his mouth. The wet heat of his tongue circling the sensitive peak tore a moan from her throat as she arched into him, offering more.
One hand traced a path down her body, finding the heat between her thighs.
Even through the thin fabric still covering her, his touch ignited sparks that threatened to consume her.
With sudden decisiveness, he pulled the blanket from the sofa and spread it before the hearth, the firelight casting golden patterns across the soft fabric.
Before she could move, he’d lifted her as if she weighed nothing, laying her down on the blanket with reverent care.
The rest of her clothes disappeared under his deft fingers, leaving her completely exposed to his gaze.
The cool air of the cabin kissed her skin, raising goosebumps that his hands soon smoothed away.
He kneeled between her legs, gently pressing her knees apart. The first touch of his mouth against her most intimate place drew a shocked gasp that quickly transformed into a moan of pleasure.
His tongue worked magic, alternating between gentle laps and firm strokes while his fingers joined the exquisite torture. Under his skilled attention, pleasure built within her like a gathering storm until it crested in waves that left her crying out his name, her body shuddering with release.
As the aftershocks still rippled through her, he moved up her body, trailing kisses along her heated skin. With trembling hands, she reached for his belt, fumbling with the buckle until it gave way. He helped her push his pants down his legs, kicking them aside as she guided him to her entrance.
The first slow push of him entering her body pulled moans from them both. He filled her completely, stretching her in a delicious burn that bordered on too much and not enough all at once. For a heartbeat, he remained still, as she adjusted to him.
“Doreen,” he whispered.
Then he began to move, each thrust deeper than the last, building a rhythm that had her clinging to his shoulders.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him on with breathless pleas.
The pace quickened, his movements becoming harder, more urgent as heat built between them, coiling tighter with each powerful drive of his hips.
When her second climax hit, it was even more intense than the first, her inner walls clenching around him as pleasure overwhelmed her senses. With a guttural sound that was more bear than man, he followed her over the edge, his body jerking against hers as he spilled himself deep inside her.
For several long moments, they lay tangled together, hearts racing in perfect synchrony as they caught their breath. The fire crackled beside them, casting dancing shadows across their entwined bodies.
James shifted his weight to the side, careful not to crush her, but kept her close in the circle of his arms. One hand stroked lazily up and down her spine as he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you,” he admitted, his voice a rough whisper against her skin.
Doreen smiled, nestling closer to his warmth. “I think I’ve wanted it too, even if I wouldn’t admit it to myself.”
He traced the curve of her cheek with one finger, his eyes searching hers. “Any regrets?”
She considered the question, the enormity of what had just happened between them, of what she now knew about him—about them. The mate bond, the shifter nature, the forever he’d promised. It should terrify her. It should send her running for the hills.
Instead, she felt only a profound sense of rightness, as if a piece of herself she hadn’t known was missing had finally clicked into place.
“None,” she whispered, and meant it.
His smile was radiant, transforming his face with joy as he pulled her closer. “Good, because I plan on doing that again. Very soon.”
“How soon is soon?” she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice as her hand drifted down his chest.
His eyes darkened with renewed desire. “How does right now sound?”
“Perfect,” she breathed as his mouth found hers once more.
Outside, snow continued to fall, blanketing the world in pristine white. But inside, wrapped in each other’s arms before the crackling fire, they created a warmth all their own.
A beginning, a promise, a future unfolding with each touch, each kiss, each whispered word of love.