Chapter 13

Shifters hadgood vision in the dark. The lightning brought some light, too. Both things meant I couldn't miss what I'd just seen. Teddy was aroused. He wasn't that way before. I would've noticed. There was no way not to notice. There was nothing in this cave that could explain away why he was reacting like that. Nothing but me.

I wasn't sure how to feel about that. I was still raw, heartbroken, and a little shaken up after running into that pack of wolves. But for a moment, in Teddy's arms, I felt safe. I wanted that back. But male attention like that made me nervous. After I had Leo, the pride didn't touch me since I was a pariah, but my only experience was with the alpha. It… wasn't pleasant. I wasn't sure I wanted to experience that again. But Teddy saved me. He's been taking care of me since he showed up in these mountains. A good female would take care of his needs.

Hesitantly, I stepped closer, touching his arm to draw his attention. A low grumble rattled his throat, but it didn't sound menacing. It almost sounded like he was purring.

"I, uh… I need a minute. We're safe here. You're safe. Just, uh…"

Another flash of lightning lit up his face. He looked embarrassed, his hands covering his arousal and his shoulders up by his ears. When I stepped around him, his eyes dropped to my chest before squeezing tightly shut.

"Crap."

Teddy was nothing like the alpha or any of the males in the pride. His shy reaction was sweet. Shifters didn't have issues with nudity, not when you lost your clothes with every shift anyway. Some males leered in the pride, but never seemed to get aroused merely from being near a naked female. Teddy bounced on his toes, muttering to himself too low for me to hear. What I did catch was confusing.

"Toe jam, dirty hankies, Uncle Leonard…"

I let out a startled laugh, covering my mouth with my hands to stifle it. His eyes flew open and a strained smile flashed across his face before he squeezed his eyes shut again.

"You hush. I'm tryin'."

"Trying to do what?"

I didn"t understand his random list, or why he seemed to list off every disgusting thing he could think of.

"Tryin' to make it go away."

"Why?"

His brows drew together, and he opened his eyes again. Clearly confused, he tipped his head. "What do ya mean?"

Nerves skittered along my skin. I'd never initiated this kind of attention before. I didn't know what to say.

He shook his head suddenly. "Nuh uh. You don't gotta take care of me. You only do that stuff if you want it. Not for someone else."

Surprised, my mouth fell open. "How–"

He shrugged, his shoulders coming down a little. When he reached for me, I didn't flinch. His touch was gentle, his fingers drifting lightly down my cheek.

"You look determined. You don't force yourself to be intimate with someone. You should want it first."

My breath caught in my throat. He saw right through me. This kind and gentle bear of a man appeared out of nowhere to rescue me, and understood me better than anyone else. I reached for his hand, holding it against my cheek, and closed my eyes.

"I don't… I don't know how to want that. Who asks for pain like that?"

He shuffled closer, careful to keep himself covered, his thumb stroking my cheek. "It don't gotta hurt, Talia. Not if you do it right. Even I know that, and I've been told I'm dumb as a bag of bricks."

I frowned, looking up at him. "I don't think you're dumb. No one else understands me like you do. You understand Leo too. You're a smart man."

He didn't look like he believed me, but he didn't want to argue either. He was too sweet for that. He leaned into me, pressing his forehead against mine. The heat radiating off him chased away the cold of the cave and I edged closer, seeking his warmth. His arm came around me, encouraging me, but when I pressed against him, he stiffened again.

"Crap."

This time I knew what was happening and I couldn't help but laugh. He didn't pull away, but it was getting harder to hide himself behind one hand. He wasn't a small man in any way.

He started muttering again, listing off terrible things with his eyes squeezed shut. I twisted my lips to stifle a laugh, looking up at him.

"Does that really help?"

"Not right now, it don't. I'm fine. I want you to feel safe. It'll go away. Maybe."

The idea of being intimate was still scary, but not as terrifying as I thought. Not with Teddy. I didn"t have enough knowledge to want it, not after my first experience with intimacy being what it was. But I wanted to help him. And I was curious, which was new for me. I let my gaze trail down his naked body, really looking at him. He was a head taller than me, brawny and wide, with deep cut abs and a slightly hairy chest. His thighs were thick, with strong calves and big feet. He was nice to look at, no hanging gut or scars. His big hand spanned my lower back easily, but did little to hide himself like he intended.

I wasn't sure what came over me, but I reached out, running my fingers lightly along the skin of his erection that he hadn't fully hidden. It was smooth and warm, and hard as steel. He let out a groan that was loud over the sounds of the storm outside the cave.

"You don't gotta do that, Talia. You're healin' and–"

"Maybe… Maybe I don't want to think about that right now. Can you help me forget for a little while?"

He opened his eyes, looking down at me. His breathing had picked up, and he looked conflicted. He was the whole reason this felt okay. I felt safe with him. I knew if it hurt or I wanted to stop, he'd stop. I didn't know how I knew, I hadn't known him that long, but I just knew.

"You sure?"

I nodded, leaning into his palm when he cupped my cheek. He dipped his head, resting his forehead against mine, his voice low and husky.

"You tell me if it gets to be too much. I'm gonna take care of you. Okay?"

He didn't do anything more until I nodded my head again to show I understood him. Then he dipped farther and pressed his lips gently against mine.

It was feather light, almost like a question, but warmth still rolled through my body, settling low in my stomach. When his lips pressed more firmly, I lifted onto my toes for more. It made him groan, and he stopped trying to hide himself in favor of wrapping his arms around me. The tight embrace trapped his arousal between us, and he pressed closer before pulling away abruptly.

"I gotta… We need to lie down. I don't wanna get too excited too fast. We gotta go slow."

He laid on the floor and frowned before reaching for me. "Too cold for you. Lie on me instead."

A shiver of anticipation rolled up my spine, and I was slow to do as he asked, but he didn't rush me and he didn't push. He settled me on his abdomen, my knees on either side of him, and pulled me closer until I was lying on top of him, our lips barely an inch apart.

He studied me for a moment, his thumb brushing over my cheek again. "Pretty."

His sweet comment made me blush and duck my head, but he drew my face back up with a knuckle under my chin and lifted to press his lips against mine again. The sounds of the storm faded, my entire focus on Teddy and his lips. One of his hands cupped the back of my head, not pulling my hair, just stroking it almost reverently. The other settled on my back, giving me goosebumps as it trailed along my skin.

I grew breathless under his careful attention, and when I gasped, Teddy's tongue dipped in to stroke against mine. That felt nice, and I pressed closer, silently asking for more.

I wasn't sure how long we spent like that, just kissing. But eventually I grew wet between my legs and Teddy started to fidget restlessly. When I pulled back, there was tension around his eyes, and he reached between us, squeezing the base of his arousal with a groan.

"Sh-should I…?" The nerves came back, but Teddy shook his head before I could spiral.

"Nuh uh. You need to be ready first. I can smell your arousal, but it"s not enough yet."

I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but then he released himself and turned his attention to me, running gentle fingers over my sex. It had never felt good to be touched there before, but tingles spread through my body and when he pressed against a spot farther up, it felt really good. I let out a breathy moan, my hips rocking automatically as I sought more. He rubbed small circles there, every once in a while dipping lower to gather the wetness and draw it back up. My hands rested on his shoulders, keeping me upright on my knees as he touched me. My legs started to tremble, the pleasure becoming overwhelming, and right as it crested, Teddy pushed a finger inside me.

"Oh!"

Pleasure like I'd never felt before exploded through me, making my body throb. The bulk of it was focused on Teddy's finger as he pushed it in and out. There was no pain when a second finger joined the first, the slickness between my legs easing the way. I rocked through the waves of pleasure, whimpering and moaning. When it finally settled to a more manageable level, I opened my eyes to find Teddy's squeezed shut again. His teeth were gritted and his body was trembling more than mine was.

"Teddy…"

He shook his head quickly. "Two ain't enough. Not for me. You need more time. I–" His fingers left me as he squeezed the base of his arousal again. I knew he wanted to go slow, to be careful, but he looked like he was hurting because of it. I didn't want him in any pain. Crawling off him, I put myself in a position I was familiar with, on my hands and knees.

"It's okay, Teddy. I'm ready."

His eyes snapped open and when he glanced at me, his groan turned ragged. He hurried to his knees, settling himself behind me, but he surprised me when he covered my whole back, one arm around my chest in a sweet embrace.

"I'll be gentle. I promise."

I leaned into his comfort, nerves dancing in my belly. I trusted him. He never did anything to make me think he'd hurt me on purpose. I wanted this. I couldn't stop the tendril of fear, though. I only ever experienced pain this way.

I jumped when Teddy's arousal brushed against my sex. He had to straighten to see what he was doing, but he ran a soothing hand over my spine, and he didn"t push in immediately. Instead, he rubbed himself from my entrance to that spot on top that made my toes curl, over and over, until my body relaxed and it felt like I needed more. I pushed back experimentally as Teddy brushed over my entrance again. He followed the motion with a groan, gently pushing in small pulses until the head was inside me. It was tight, and it burned a little, but not as painful as I was expecting. And he still didn't shove inside. He inched in, little by little, until the burning subsided and his hips pressed against my behind.

His body covered mine again, his face nuzzling against my neck. "How do you feel?"

It was hard to concentrate on answering him. I'd never felt like this before.

"F-Full. I–" His hips rocked, and I sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh!"

Muffling his groan against my shoulder, he repeated the motion, drawing little gasps from me. His breathing was loud in my ear and his arm around my chest was tight, but it made him feel closer and I liked feeling his skin against mine. I liked the sounds he made, too. When he groaned again, my lower body clenched, and his hips stuttered.

"Ah! Talia!"

He'd been going slow, steady since the start, but when I clenched around him again, he rocked a little faster. He was still holding back, determined to protect me, and joy filled my chest. It spread through me, making me feel like a downed electric line, sparks of it making me twist and moan. Teddy growled, that same rumbling noise from before rattling against my back. Males growled at females during intercourse at the pride, but Teddy's noises didn"t sound dangerous, like a warning to stay in place or they'd hurt us. Teddy's was pleasure filled and his dominance didn"t feel threatening. It felt comforting. Like his constant promises to protect me. His bear was making the same promise.

The sparks exploded into an inferno without warning and I cried out, my body clamping down on Teddy's arousal. His groan turned into a roar, and his thrusts roughened once, twice, until he stiffened and came. He melted, but instead of falling on top of me, he pulled us both over sideways and settled on the ground. Still so careful with me.

Tears burned my eyes, and I hugged his arm against my chest.

"Thank you."