Chapter 8

8

Lucy

I ’ve always wanted to have a hot tub party with the girls. I just hadn’t expected “the girls” to be my nasty manager Natasha, and Kellie, who, if I’m honest has always been a little mean to me as well.

But here we all are, sitting in the hot tub in my room—in our underwear, because none of us brought a bathing suit.

Natasha dug out a bottle of wine from somewhere and the two of them are getting giggly and loud. Natasha is a totally different person when she’s not competing for the title of bitch-ass manager of the year.

“You know, Lucy—” Natasha paws at me with her talons. Sheesh. It’s just as painful when she’s trying to be friends.

“Can you quit doing that?” I snap.

She startles. “Sorry, hun.”

I can’t resist a little smile. There was a time when I wouldn’t have said a word, even if she’d scratched up my whole arm.

“A lot of the stuff people say about you in the office isn’t fair,” she continues, her voice a little slurry. “You were actually real awesome with directions, and so assertive .”

“Yeah,” I say non-committally.

“I’m sorry I’ve been teasing you, Lucy. You, like, saved my life today,” Kellie chips in.

I shrug. “It’s just herd mentality.” And for the first time, I know it’s true. It wasn’t me; it was them. They made me the office scapegoat because I was a bit different from them.

They start gossiping about the guys in the office that they’ve dated, and I zone out for a while.

“Have a top-up, hun!” Natasha grabs the wine bottle and splashes some more into my already full glass. I pretend to take a sip and put it back down. All I can think about is Preston up there on the mountain. I know he’s in his element in the wilderness, and he could even sleep out there in his bear form if he needed to. I just don’t feel right, him being so far away from me. And he’s been gone a good long time. It’s dark outside already.

“He’ll be back soon, you know.” Natasha slides me a sideways glance, full of intrigue.

Of course, they’ve been trying to get me to open up about “the wild man”, but I haven’t breathed a single word. No way am I going to turn this feeling I have for Preston into cheap gossip.

When I stay quiet, she sighs.

“Spoilsport.” She shoves me with her shoulder, like we’re best buddies. “You know who’s gonna be jealous if you have a little holiday romance?” She wiggles her eyebrows.

I stare at the ceiling, say nothing.

“I think Errol really likes youuu!” she sings.

I jolt upright, fury pouring through my veins. I’m not the old Lucy anymore. The one who would’ve stayed quiet and probably pretended that I was grateful for Errol’s attentions.

“Errol is a fucking sleaze, Natasha!” My voice is loud, but I don’t care. “He’s been groping me and staring at me the whole time I’ve been working for Elevate.”

“That’s because he’s into you, Lucy!” Kellie’s eyes are bulging with excitement.

“No. It’s because he’s an entitled prick who has no respect for women. Kellie, that’s not how a guy acts who’s really into you.”

“You don’t need to be so uptight, Lucy. Some guys are just real physical.”

“That’s not physical. That’s—” I break off and close my eyes as last night rushes over me again.

When I open them again, I grab Kellie’s hands and hold them tight. “Kellie, listen to me. A strong guy doesn’t need to be rough and gropey. He can be gentle because he knows his own strength, and he respects you. And when a guy truly cares about you, he’ll show it in the way he touches your heart, not just the way he touches your body.”

Kellie falls into a stunned silence, and I don’t care, because I can go back to thinking about Preston. The way those firm lips kissed me so softly. How gentle his massive, callused hands felt on my body.

Come back soon, I say inside my head.

Almost there, baby.

Huh? My head jerks. “Who said that?”

“Said what?” Natasha is holding one of her legs out of the water and examining her pedicure critically.

“Oh, nothing.” My heart is beating fast. Preston spoke those words to me. I know it.

I need to be with him. I leap out of the tub and put on my robe and slippers.

When I yank the door open, a gust of wind blows in.

“Lucy, what the heck are you doing?” Natasha wails. “It’s freaking cold out there!”

Ignoring her, I step out into the darkness.

In a second, all the warmth from the hot tub is gone. But I don’t care. A part of me, that I didn’t even know existed until today, is telling me that Preston is out there. I walk into the night. I can hardly see anything, but I feel confident.

It’s freezing. My feet squelch in the mud. But all I can think is, I need to get to my mate.

I’ve taken a dozen steps, and suddenly, there he is. He’s kinda half dressed, his plaid shirt all torn and barely clinging to his shoulders, and he’s covered in mud.

“Preston!” I scream. My heart gives a massive boom and I run to him.

He lifts me right up off the ground and crushes his lips against mine.

“Lucy, what are you doing out here?”

He looks so worried, I break into a grin. “You called to me, so I came to get you, of course.”

He lets out a gigantic sigh. “You heard.”

I stroke his beard. “Of course, I did.” He touches his forehead to mine and we stay like that, connecting.

At last, I remember. “Are the others okay?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. I built a fire up there and got them dry. Soon as the rain stopped, I brought ’em all down. Hopefully, they’re all taking hot showers now.”

“Thank you so much for doing that.”

He shrugs. “Like I said, all for you, Lucy Cole.”

I frown. “I hope they weren’t assholes?”

“Those guys are full-time assholes. But right now, they’re humbled assholes.”

I giggle. “You’re funny, Preston. You know that?”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Well, my brother’s been laughing at my grumpiness all his life.”

“No. I mean, you’re intentionally funny.”

“Guess I never had a whole lot to laugh about until I met you.”

“Why—?” I start to ask, but I then I realize that he’s turning a door handle. Hadn’t even noticed we’d been walking.

He flings the door open, and…

Natasha and Kellie goggle at us.

“Oh. My. God,” Kellie stage whispers.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, ladies, but I’m afraid we’re gonna need this room,” Preston says, his voice like honey over gravel. I think I fall for him even more.

“R-right, of course,” Natasha squeaks, and the girls jump out of the hot tub so fast, a bunch of water sloshes out.

Preston just stands there, holding me in his arms until they’ve stumbled out of the room, clutching armloads of their stuff.

The moment the door bangs shut, he locks it and a growl bursts from his lips, like he’s been keeping it in for a long time.

He kisses my neck, his teeth grazing my skin like he wants to eat me alive.

I shudder. I’m so ready for him.

“Lucy Cole…” he growls in my ear.

I shiver in delight. “Why do you always use my whole name?”

He draws back, his lips quirking. “Because that’s how you introduced yourself when you booked the room. Your voice was the sweetest sound I’d heard in my life, and I knew right then that you were the one.”

My breath catches. “You did?”

“Yup. Well, my bear knew, anyway.”

I run my fingers along his jawline. “Good. Your bear knows what’s best for you.”

“I sure hope so.”

“Now, what were you going to tell me?”

“That I need to get clean.” He deposits me gently on the ground.

I realize how wet and heavy my robe’s gotten, and I tug it off my shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

His gaze fixates on my body in my drenched underwear, and he lets off a tortured groan.

Fuck, he makes me feel so sexy, so wanted.

“Shower, now,” he mutters, and stalks off to the bathroom. As he turns, I catch sight of his cock, straining against his zipper, and I can hardly breathe.

I hear the shower go on. Beside me, the hot tub is still swirling invitingly. Better sit down before I fall down. I sink right down into the hot water with a sigh.

A flame of need has lit in my belly and it spreads all through me. I’m about to lose my virginity to this man. He’s so big, all over, and I don’t know how his cock is going to fit inside me, but I’m going to try. Because I want him to claim me more than I’ve wanted anything in my life.

And I want to show him that I’m ready for him. Ready to be the mate of a bear.

I strip off my underwear and throw it aside. I’m nervous as heck for him to see me naked, but I want to meet him equally.

Feels different being naked in the water. And when I settle back down, just so happens that there’s a little water jet, right between my thighs…

I jerk away from it. Naughty hot tub. I’m saving myself for Preston.

Instead, I wait, agonizing seconds until the shower goes off. I hear him towel himself dry.

And there he is, in all his naked glory. Standing in the doorway, his cock bigger than ever.