Claimed on Bear Mountain Page 5

  Scott grinned, although his grin looked a little lopsided amidst the blood and the fact that one of his eyes was starting to swell.

  “I might have been following you,” he said. “I had something I wanted to give you, and you didn’t seem interested in talking to me back at the shopping center.”

  Caroline felt her cheeks going red with embarrassment. She could hardly believe that she’d acted the way she had. She didn’t deserve a friend like Scott, but for some unexplainable reason, he seemed determined to be her friend.

  Or perhaps, more than just a friend? She felt her heart leap within her at the possibilities.

  “I’m really sorry for the way I acted,” she said. “Maybe you don’t believe me, but I was actually on my way home to get my car and drive up to Bear Mountain to apologize.”

  Scott looked surprised by this. “You were?”

  Caroline nodded. “I’m really ashamed of the way I acted. I let everyone else’s opinion sway me more than what was right in front of me.”

  Scott looked at her with eyes that were suddenly blazing. “And what, exactly, is right in front of you?”

  Caroline trembled at the intensity in his gaze. Was that desire she saw burning in his eyes? She almost didn’t dare believe it, but it was hard to mistake the way he was looking at her. She took a deep breath, and tried to find the right words to show this man how sorry she was.

  “What’s right in front of me is a good, kind man who has now saved me three times. I don’t know what the Pine Springs people have against you folks on Bear Mountain, but they’re the crazy ones if they think that you’re not worth being friends with.”

  “Just friends? Or something more?”

  Caroline trembled even more. She hadn’t expected him to ask so directly, and she wasn’t quite sure how to answer. “I… I don’t know.”

  What was she supposed to say? She knew that she wanted something more, but she wasn’t sure how feasible it was. It didn’t look like she was going to be able to stay in Pine Springs past the summer, and who knew if she’d be able to come back next year. There were just too many uncertainties for her to start a relationship right now. Weren’t there?

  Besides, she never would have admitted it to Scott, but she was scared. The last time she’d dated a guy, it had ended so horribly. True, Scott was nothing like her ex. But still, she’d been wounded so badly that the thought of opening her heart to someone again was a scary one. She wasn’t sure that she was ready to face the vulnerability that came from agreeing to date Scott. She’d thought she was ready, but now that he was standing in front of her, looking at her with eyes that said he was clearly ready, she panicked.

  Before he could say anything else, she started talking again to try to change the subject. “We should get you cleaned up. It looks like you have some really bad gashes. Come on, my apartment isn’t far from here. We can go there and get a first aid kit.”

  Scott looked like he wanted to say something else, but then he seemed to think better of it. He simply nodded, then gestured behind him. “Alright, but let’s go get your bag that you dropped back there.”

  “My bag!” Caroline exclaimed. In the midst of all the excitement, she’d completely forgotten that she’d dropped her bag of jewelry and cash a little ways back. It hadn’t seemed that important when that awful man was attacking her. But now, she realized that she desperately needed that money and jewelry.

  Scott was nodding. “I thought you might want to get your stuff. Besides, I left my own bag of stuff back there. Like I said, I have something to give you.”

  Caroline couldn’t imagine what Scott might have brought for her. She certainly didn’t feel like she deserved any gifts from him after the way she’d acted, but he wasn’t giving her time to protest. He was already turning to walk back down the path toward where she’d lost her bag. She had a feeling that he wasn’t going to care if she protested, anyway. If he had something for her, he was determined to give it to her.

  Besides, she was curious. What had a man like him brought for a woman like her? Was it something romantic? She’d be lying if she said she didn’t hope so. Feeling energized, despite everything she’d just been through, she turned to follow Scott down the path.

  Somehow, she had a feeling that this was going to be the first of many adventures she’d be having with him.

  Chapter Six

  No matter how much Caroline begged, Scott refused to show her what it was he had for her until they were back at her apartment. But by the time they arrived, Caroline was more concerned with Scott’s wounds than with what was in the small paper bag he carried. She ordered him to sit down at her kitchen table, then went to find her first aid kit.

  “I’m fine, really,” he called after her as she headed to her bathroom to rummage through her assortment of medical supplies. “It’s not as bad as it looks, and I’m sure I’ll heal up quickly.”

  “You’re not fine,” Caroline insisted, yelling loudly enough so that he could hear her back in the kitchen. “Those gashes are pretty deep, and they still haven’t stopped bleeding.”

  Scott continued to insist that he was alright even as Caroline started cleaning the gashes and applying bandages to them.

  “This is all completely unnecessary,” he grumbled.

  “Sit still,” Caroline ordered in response. “The more you wriggle around, the longer this is going to take.”

  But to Caroline’s surprise, there seemed to actually be some truth in Scott’s insistence that his wounds would heal up quickly. The gashes that had initially looked so deep seemed to be closing up right before Caroline’s eyes. Not sure if she was seeing things, she leaned forward and put her face inches from his to take a closer look. A gash across his left cheek that moments before she’d thought might need stitches now looked like nothing more than a scratch. How was that possible?

  Scott almost seemed superhuman to her. Was this part of why the people in Pine Springs didn’t like the people on Bear Mountain? Were they jealous of how strong and healthy the Bear Mountain villagers were?

  While Caroline was pondering all of this, she made the mistake of lifting her eyes to meet Scott’s eyes. The intense hunger that she saw there took her breath away.

  “Scott?” she whispered, not sure what else to say to him.

  “You are so damn beautiful,” he responded.

  Caroline felt her cheeks heating up in a blush, but it was a happy blush. She still didn’t say anything more. Instead, she reached up with the antiseptic cloth she’d been holding and gave Scott’s cheek one last, tender swipe.

  When she put the cloth down, Scott reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers. Caroline felt electricity shoot through her body at his touch. She met his eyes, and saw her own desire mirrored in them. Her stomach did a series of flip-flops as he seemed to look deep into her soul. And then, he spoke to her in a low, husky voice.

  “I’m going to kiss you now.”

  He didn’t give her time to resist—not that she wanted to. The moment his lips touched hers, all of her fears and worries seemed to melt away. All she could think about was how much she wanted this kiss, and how much she loved the way Scott had just taken charge.

  He moved with an easy confidence as he reached out to pull her into his lap. She sat on his legs, marveling at how strong and secure she felt in his embrace. She could feel a stiffness starting to form between his legs, and she gasped at the size of that stiffness. His erection was huge, making her dizzy with wonder. How was it possible for man to be so big? And how was it possible for a man like Scott to be so turned on by her? Caroline had spent her life feeling insecure and not good enough, and those old feelings tried to surface now. She did her best to push them away and just enjoy this moment, because she’d never known a moment as perfect as this.

  If Scott had any reservations about whether Caroline was good enough for him, he certainly didn’t show them. Instead, the longer he kissed her, the more he seemed to want her. As his tongue made its
way deeper into her mouth and danced with her tongue, she found herself letting go of her own worries and reservations. She wasn’t sure where this was going, or whether they had a future together. But what she was sure of was that in this moment, she was feeling everything she’d ever wanted to feel.

  She felt safe and secure, and she felt loved. Maybe that was a crazy thing to say when she and Scott barely knew each other and things between them were so uncertain. Nevertheless, she knew what she felt. Even if it was only for that moment, she knew Scott loved her. And, crazily enough, she knew she loved him.

  And with that, she gave in completely to the tidal wave of feelings washing over her. She wrapped her arms around Scott’s neck, and savored the way his arms felt around her.

  Scott seemed to sense that something inside of Caroline was responding to his touch. He let out a low growl, then stood, lifting her in his arms. He carried her to the bedroom, and laid her gently down on the bed. Then, Caroline watched with growing desire as Scott pulled his t-shirt up and over his head, revealing the most perfect set of abs she’d ever seen.

  His chest was broad and muscular, and his shoulders exuded strength. But it was his abs that really blew her away. They were chiseled into a perfect six-pack, and the muscles tapered down into a V that led teasingly down toward the waistband of his jeans. Caroline felt desperate to see what was below those jeans.

  Her desperation only grew when Scott came over to the bed and pulled her into a sitting position so that he could pull her shirt up and over her head. That was the moment that Caroline knew that there was definitely no turning back. The fire within her was burning too brightly, and it must have been burning brightly within Scott as well. He looked down at her and let out another growl, the sound turning Caroline on like nothing ever had.

  Scott wanted her, and he was claiming her as his.

  Caroline had never been so happy to belong to someone as she was to belong to Scott, even if she only belonged to him for this moment. She closed her eyes and let the heat of his touch wash over her as he slid his hands behind her back to unclasp her bra and peel it off of her. He tossed the garment across the room as he looked hungrily at her breasts, letting out a long, low whistle.

  “Those curves,” he murmured in wonder. And then, he dipped his head to place his mouth over her nipples. If she’d thought that she was turned on before, she’d had no idea just how electric it would feel when Scott’s mouth touched her nipples. She would have fallen backward onto the bed again if it hadn’t been for his hands, which he placed firmly behind her back. As he ran his tongue over each erect nipple, fiery heat ran through Caroline’s body.

  She could feel herself growing wet between her legs, consumed with desire for Scott. This felt crazy, and everything was moving so fast. But nothing had ever felt so right to Caroline. Something about Scott drew her in like a magnet, and left her breathless with desire for more.

  Scott seemed just as overcome by passion, and his movements became more urgent. He pulled her nipples with his teeth now, nibbling at them with greater force with every passing second. Caroline felt pulses of electric heat rushing through her body as he continued teasing her breasts.

  But it wasn’t much longer until his hunger left him wanting more than just her nipples. He moved his hands to the button on her jeans and started unfastening it. Caroline let out a little whimper of anticipated delight, which seemed to spur him on even more. He growled and moved faster, pulling her pants and then her underwear off with amazing speed. Not to be outdone, Caroline reached up to unbutton his jeans as well. They became a tangle of arms, legs and clothes, until moments later they were both lying naked on the bed beside each other. For a brief moment, Scott stopped and looked at her, his eyes full of fire.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” he said in a husky voice.

  And then, it was as though the floodgates of his desire opened completely. With an impatient growl, he pushed her onto her back, and flipped so that his own body was on top of hers. He hovered over her for a few moments, once again seeming to want to just take in the sight of her. She trembled as she met his eyes, and with her gaze she silently pleaded with him to take her, fully and completely. Somehow, she knew that this was a moment she’d been waiting for her entire life. It was as though she hadn’t been truly living until now.

  Perhaps Scott felt the same way. Caroline saw an intensity of emotion in his eyes like nothing she’d ever seen in a man. As he hovered over her, his impossibly enormous erection waiting just above her dripping wet entrance, she had the sense that they were both hovering on the edge of something great.

  And then, they went hurtling over that edge together as Scott rammed into her.

  Normally, Caroline would not have even entertained the idea of sleeping with a man she barely knew. But the odd thing was that she felt like she did know Scott, even though she’d only met him a few days before. She felt like she’d known him her entire life—and from the way he was looking at her, his eyes so full of affection, she had the sense that he felt the same.

  Scott’s erection pushed against her inner walls, making room for himself and sending a flurry of tingling heat radiating across Caroline’s body. She gasped and squeezed her eyes tightly closed once again, trying to contain the intensity of desire rushing through her veins. She felt a deep, burning pressure building within her core. The heat spread like a fire out to the top of her head and the tips of her toes, consuming her more with every passing second. As Scott began to urgently rock his hips back and forth, going deeper into her with each thrust, she found that she could hardly contain that heat.

  The pressure built within her until she could hold back no longer. She arched her back and thrust her hips upward against Scott’s hips, then gave in completely. With a long, loud cry of passion, she let the waves of her release wash over her. It was the most glorious sensation she’d ever experienced.

  As soon as she’d found her release, Scott followed close behind her. He let out a thunderous roar, the sound of which sent tingles of pleasure up and down Caroline’s spine. And then, he stiffened as he thrust into her one more time, deeper even than before. He pulsed into her, growling in pleasure as their two bodies rode the most glorious waves of ecstasy Caroline had ever experienced. She hadn’t known that it was possible to feel this close to another human being. But now that she knew, she would never again be satisfied with anything less than this glorious feeling—the feeling of being so loved and cared for that it seemed nothing and no one could ever hurt her again.

  She wondered whether Scott felt the same. With slight trepidation, she opened her eyes and looked up at him, worried that she might not see the same feelings in his eyes that she knew were showing in hers. That’s when she knew that she didn’t have anything to worry about.

  That’s when she knew that she’d found the love of her life.

  Chapter Seven

  The next day, Scott once again went for a visit to the shopping center where Caroline’s jewelry booth was located—only this time, he knew she wouldn’t be asking him to leave. He had a spring in his step as he approached her booth, a spring that stemmed from the joy that had been constantly bubbling up within him over the last day. It still seemed like all of this was a dream. How was it possible that a woman as amazing as Caroline was his fated lifemate?

  Scott wasn’t sure how the hell he’d gotten so lucky, but one thing he did know: he was never taking Caroline for granted. He patted the bag he was carrying to make sure its contents were secure. Yesterday, after he and Caroline had made love, she’d fallen into a deep sleep. He hadn’t wanted to wake her, especially after the rough day she’d had. He was sure that it hadn’t been easy on her to be attacked the way she had been.

  Scott still boiled with anger when he thought about that. The guy who’d attacked Caroline was incredibly lucky that Caroline had begged Scott not to kill him. Scott knew Caroline had been worried about what the legal ramifications of killing the man would have been, but Scott hadn’t been
worried. He would have been proud to stand up in court and tell a judge that he’d defended Caroline against a man trying to do so much harm to her.

  All Scott knew now was that the man better not show his face in Pine Springs again. If he did, Scott would make good on his promise to follow through with killing him.

  In any case, Scott had let Caroline sleep, but he’d had to slip away for work. He left her a note apologizing for leaving and saying that he’d come by her booth the next day. He’d wanted to make sure she knew that he wasn’t bailing out on her after sleeping with her. Far from it. In fact, he wasn’t ever going to bail out on her.

  He hoped that Caroline felt as strongly toward him as he did toward her. From the look in her eyes, he would say that she did. If he was wrong, then that just meant he had more work to do to convince her, because he wasn’t giving up on her. Not now, not ever.

  Scott smiled and patted the bag he was carrying one more time. When he’d left Caroline’s apartment, he’d taken with him the bag of stuff he’d brought for her. He hadn’t had a chance to give it to her before they made love and she fell asleep, and he wanted to see the look on her face when he she saw what it was. In just a few more minutes, he’d be seeing that look, and he could hardly wait.

  As he approached Caroline’s jewelry booth, he saw that she was quite busy at the moment. Customers flocked around, looking at the colorful necklaces and bracelets she had on display. Scott didn’t pretend to be much of a jewelry expert, but from what he could see, Caroline had quite a bit of talent. Her jewelry was fun and colorful, which was exactly the sort of thing that tourists in Pine Springs loved.

  Scott hung back for a few minutes, waiting until Caroline had finished up with the throng of customers before he approached. When she saw him, her cheeks flushed pink with pleasure, and Scott’s bear roared within him at the sight of her blushing. There was no feeling in the world like knowing that your lifemate was happy to see you. It was all Scott could do to stop himself from dragging her away from her booth right then and there to go make love to her.