3

He was in over his fucking head, that was for damn sure.

If Gareth was still there, he would have been mocking his brother, the antagonistic little shit he was. If Owen, their older brother, was there, he would have dragged him out the door before he made a mistake, like falling head over heels in love with a human woman. Mates were a passing thing, something to lust over for a short time and get their rocks off. Companionship wasn't for them. They were loners, enjoying their solitude and their own territory. Cedric could only share the land with his brothers because they had been together since they were cubs.

Sharing his space with a human? Impossible.

And yet, if he had to share it with smiling and wild and fun Bethany, he would gladly do so, even giving her his bed and his cabin just so he could sleep on the doorstep and wait for her attention again.

Fuck, he should have gone roaming that spring and found someone to help him clear his head, rather than getting an early start on the planting. That was what had gone wrong. He had been too long without a woman's touch, and now he was ravenous for the first woman to smile at him.

Never mind the scent of her...

The sweet and soft florals and citrus had become more heady, the longer they danced, telling him that his feelings of lust were not one-sided. A benefit to being a bear—he knew without asking that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.

But she didn't know that. She had no fucking clue. And if he told her that, told her that he knew she wanted him, and asked if he could, she would probably slap him, as was her right.

And now, he was in over his head, dancing with a woman who smelled ripe and fuckable, and his cock so hard in his pants it was about to break the zipper.

A lot of things with her were fun? That he didn't doubt. She was teasing him, he was sure of it, but how the hell did a bear go from asking about more fun to asking if he can bury his face between her thighs eating her out? Fuck, to taste the heady scent that was flooding his nostrils and making his mouth water, it would make his whole fucking year. He wouldn't even need to roam in the Spring, although that would probably land him right back where he was, unable to talk to a woman who wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

The song changed again, so Cedric relaxed his arms as he saw another man doing, only for the music to change entirely. It was louder and sharper, no longer as melodic, and sounded more like racket than something to dance to. Bethany pulled away as well, a smirk spread across her lips.

"Tell me something, are you any good at building fires?" she asked coyly.

She wanted him to build her a fire? He would build the best fucking fire...

"Been doing it most of my life, so yeah, I can get a fire going pretty good," he answered, trying to sound casual. Where would she need a fire? And when?

"It's going to be pretty cold tonight, and I doubt the embers are still going after how long I've been here. I'm dead on my feet tired, though..."

She was looking up at him wistfully, and he grasped at the strings she was offering him. She was tired? Too tired to build herself a fire? Did she want him to build her one? Was it all just an excuse to get him to her place? Did the fire mean something else? Was she actually tired?

There was only one way to find out, and he wasn't going to waste the chance at getting her alone, and all to himself.

"I'd be glad to walk you back to your place, and get a fire going for you," he offered, hoping it didn't sound as pathetic in her ears as it did to him.

"And maybe stick around and have a little more fun?" she continued, still grinning up at him.

Fun. Yes. Fun with her. He wanted more fun with her.

"Yes," he answered in a rush. "Yeah. Yes. Whatever you—"

He was fumbling over his own words, but her laughter saved him as she patted his chest gently. "Whatever I want? Is that what you were going to say? You know, if you keep leaving things up to me to decide, you're going to make a girl think you don't actually want what she's offering."

"I do. I do want it. You. I want—fuck. Sorry, fuck, shouldn't, fuck, I'm—"

She laughed again while shaking her head, and headed towards the bar again, dipping behind it to grab something. He trailed along after her, cursing himself mentally for struggling to say the right words. Talking to anyone other than his brothers was hard enough, but talking to a human woman? Goddamn impossible.

And yet, she was still throwing him a bone and giving him a chance. He was a lucky fucking bear, but hopefully, he would be able to pull his shit together, and soon, so she didn't get tired of it.

Her bag was now on her shoulder and she had a jacket over her arm, telling him she was ready to go. His own jacket was hanging up in the entryway on one of the hooks, and he followed after her and grabbed it just before they stepped outside, into the cold autumn night.

It had been dark when he arrived, but now it was so dark, he doubted she would be able to see without the lights on each building. He had no issue, given his supernatural eyesight, but she didn't need to know that.

"It's cold out here, so let's hurry," she insisted as she walked past the cars. "Did you drive here?"

"No, I walked," he said honestly, feeling stupid. The walk was good in the crisp air, so he had thought nothing of it, despite the distance, and had fully intended on shifting and putting his things in a bag he kept in his jacket pocket so he could make the walk home quicker. "Did you?"

"No, I live a few streets over, on the edge of town," she answered while pulling her jacket on. Her hair was half trapped underneath the fabric, and without thinking, Cedric moved closer and helped to pull her hair free. It was so soft, running through his fingers, and the sweet scent of her once more flooded his senses. He was drunk on her, drunk on everything about her, and he couldn't step away.

He forced himself to look from where his hand was still lost in her hair to her face, and froze as he realized she was just as still as he was. Her eyes were wide, but she wasn't angry, as he had feared. It was forward of him to touch her without invitation, even to help her out, and now, they were both lost as they stared at one another.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice small and soft. She still wasn't moving, either away from him or towards her place, and so Cedric was frozen as well, still looking down at her. She was so tiny compared to him, barely reaching his chest, but he somehow knew that she would still fit against him perfectly. That was how he felt while dancing with her, and it wasn't like they were going to be standing when he fucked her.

For some odd reason, the word sounded crude, even in his own head. That's what it was, that's all it ever was. Fucking. It wasn't making love or something flowery like that. It was sex, to get it out of his system, and let his urges run free.

But something about Bethany told him it could never be something as detached as fucking.

"If you are wondering if you can kiss me, the answer is yes," Bethany whispered, a beautiful smile now curling over her lips once more. Fuck, it was like looking at sunshine when she smiled at him like that. "Now or at my place. Your choice."

His thoughts were long past things like kissing, but now that she had mentioned it, he could think of nothing else. Kissing her, tasting her, holding onto her while he stole her breath, swallowing her moans as she clung to him, having her body pressed against his, touching her hair and her neck and her cheek... All of it. He wanted all of it.

And now, he had her permission.

"If we start that now, Sunshine, I don't think I'll be thinking clearly enough to be trusted to start a fire when we get to your place," he answered, still not pulling away. "And I'm sure you don't want to go to bed cold."

"Sunshine?" she asked, raising her brow slightly in question.

He hadn't even realized he'd said it. "Slipped out. But you look like sunshine when you smile at me like that."

She was quiet as she kept smiling, for long enough that even Cedric, with all of his body heat, could feel the cold. He was just about ready to ask her where to go next, but finally, she spoke.

"I think my bed will be warm enough, if you're in it."

And that was it for him. His invitation, clear as day, to not only kiss her, but to do so much more. Any resistance or self control he had left in him evaporated, and his fingers cupped the back of her head as he bent down and kissed her.

Almost immediately, she pressed herself against him while wrapping her arm around his neck, holding him close. She raised up slightly, probably going onto tiptoes, and he groaned against her mouth as he kissed her again. Her lips parted before he could even tease them with his tongue, and he answered in kind, deepening the kiss with her. The sweet scent from her hair mixed with the sweet liquor and mint on her breath, and he growled against her mouth, unable to hold himself back any longer. He had to have her, to taste more of her, away from any prying eyes and away from the noise still emanating from the bar.

She was his, for at least the night, and she was begging for his touch with her scent alone. He would not be one to disappoint. Not when there was a real possibility he would never have this opportunity ever again.

A woman like Bethany, not that he could imagine any woman ever coming close to being as amazing as her, only came around once in a man's life. She was the kind of woman that made a bear think about settling down and having cubs with, not that he could ever imagine that happening for him, and she would be snatched up real quick by the first man she gave half a chance.

He was going to take it, now, for as long as she would tolerate him.

Her moan filled his ears, and he pulled away, both letting go of her hair and pulling his wandering hand, which had somehow made it's way onto her lower back, away from the top of her butt. If he had gone for much longer, he would have grabbed as much of her backside as he could hold, and hoisted her up into his arms.

"Which way to your place?" he asked, his voice sounding breathless.

"Two... two streets that way, turn left, it's the lone cabin." She was just as breathless as he was.

He knew exactly which cabin it was, truly on the edge of town, not that the town was all that big. He would have them there in no time.

"Too cold to be thinking about undressing you out here, which is exactly what I want to do with your lips looking like that," he said while grabbing her hand and starting the walk. "If I had my truck, we'd be in it right now, and you deserve better than that."

"I would already be in your lap if you did."

Her words had him moving faster, but he kept looking down to make sure she could keep up. His legs were much faster than hers, but she was walking quickly right beside him, clearly as eager as he was. They turned the corner, and there it was, the small cabin with a truck out front. He liked that, and knew without question that she even used it as a truck. It wouldn't surprise him in the slightest if she could split her own wood and everything.

And yet, he somehow knew there would be more surprises coming from her all the same.

The front door was unlocked, which was unsurprising in a town like this, and Cedric kicked off his boots as he followed her in. She had to untie her own, sitting on a bench that was beside the door to do so, and he tugged his jacket off and threw it over the back of her sofa before bending down to help her with the other one. She made a noise as he did so, but he didn't look up until she was kicking them both off, and stood up as she did.

Her jacket hit the floor, followed by her bag, and then she was reaching for him again, and pulling him into the space. He barely even glanced around, save to confirm her bed was empty and the fire was out, but then she pushed him onto the sofa. He sat down, hard, and then she was in his lap, her legs on either side of his, and her arms around his neck.

There was nothing to discuss, nothing to say, which was good, because all of his blood was racing straight from his brain to his cock. She smiled again before leaning forward and pressing her lips against his, washing away anything else he might have wanted to say.

He was in over his head, for fucking sure, but he would gladly go down, just for her.