The VIP Room(141)

“Is something wrong?” he asked after a moment, his eyes boring into me intently, something dark and almost dangerous seeming to ignite behind them.

“It’s just…” I stammered, my heart and mind still racing from the kiss. “I don’t know…”

Chase pulled away from me then, a look of pain and frustration overtaking his features as he backed against a wall.

“What is it?” he asked me.

“I need to know,” I told him. “Why did my parents say you were ‘different’? Why don’t you belong here?”

Chase closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath.





Chapter 7





Chase





I held my breath for what felt like an eternity, my eyes closed, and my heart racing. That moment of passion with Andrea has been the single greatest moment of my life. Her lips were pure pleasure, and the soft curves beneath her dress held more comfort than anything I’d ever come across. There was something about this woman, something wonderful and compelling, and I couldn’t shake the thought that she was destined to be mine. I’d never bought into the fated mates ordeal, especially after having been raised by two bears who all but loathed one another, but I just couldn’t get around the fact that I wanted Andrea more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life. When I’d kissed her, I’d felt, for the first time in my life, completely and totally at peace. More than that, I’d felt whole. Like I’d found the other half of my soul.

The entire trip up the mountain, I’d battled with telling her the truth about myself. That not only had I saved her from a bear in the mountains earlier in the day, but that I was a bear as well. As far as I knew, my parents were the only shifters in the region, so knowledge of my kind wouldn’t exactly be commonly held. I wanted to be honest with her, wanted her to accept me for who I am - primal beast and all - but, at the same time, I didn’t want to scare her away.

Still, I reckoned, it was her choice after all. She wanted to know if I was a monster, and she had every right to know.

“Yes,” I whispered breathlessly. I opened my eyes and looked deeply into hers.

“What?” Her jaw was firm, and her hands were planted atop her hips.

“At the restaurant, you asked if I was a monster. The answer is yes. I am.”

There was no turning back now. She’d want to know what I meant, and I planned to show her. Without waiting for her to respond, I inhaled sharply and shifted into my bear form, my massive predator’s body filling the corner of the room as I stood upright.

I could smell the fear emanating off of her, and her eyes transformed into saucers. She didn’t, however, scream like I expected her to. Instead, she just stood there, in silence, as though she was running calculations in her mind.

“You were the other bear,” she whispered after what several minutes. “The one that chased the big one away. I thought I saw something, just before I fell. It was you, wasn’t it?” The fear had all but vanished from her and she approached me without caution.

Andrea outstretched a hand toward me, and I crouched down, offering her my head. She ran her fingers through my fur, tousling with my ears like she might a pet dog, then placed a hand under my jaw. Andrea lifted my eyes toward hers, and I let out a soft grunt, signaling my attention. She stared me directly in the eyes, smiled, and whispered, “Thank you, Chase. For saving my life. And for this. This honesty.” Then she leaned forward and pressed her face against my fur, cuddling against me.

I shifted back into my human form and pulled her against me, embracing her firmly. My chest clung against her dress, naked from where I’d shifted into my bear form. I could feel her skin against mine where he dress ended, and my cock leapt to attention, my bear fully aware now. I gently pulled Andrea’s face back a bit, just enough to stare into her eyes. In them, I saw the same primal need that I knew she saw in mine.

Without so much as a word, I rose to my feet and swept one arm under Andrea’s legs and caught her back with the other. Lifting her against my chest, I leaned in and kissed her on the lips, and carried her toward the nearest bedroom.





Chapter 8





Andrea





Chase carried me into the bedroom and laid me gently on the bed, his lips never tearing away from mine. He hooked his hand beneath me, grabbing for the zipper on my dress, and pulled it downward. With the dress loosened, he left my lips for a moment and gently slid the dress down and across my body, revealing that I’d worn nothing but a black, laced thong underneath.

He climbed back on top of me, kissing me passionately, before whispering, “I want you.”

“And I want you,” I told him, running my hands down his strong chest and abs. His body was an absolute masterpiece, hard from one end to the other.

He stared down at me, obviously taking in the view. “You’re gorgeous,” he said, fondling my breasts before leaning in again to kiss me slowly, sending jolts of electricity down my spine.

I ran my fingers through his hair, moaning softly into his kiss. He tongued my mouth, slowly at first, then with a renewed hunger, grinding against me.

He kissed along my jaw, then mouthed my throat, before kissing my shoulder and slipping further down the bed. Chase ran his tongue over one nipple and mouthed my breast, his hand coming up to squeeze the other one, and rolling my nipple between his fingers. I offered soft sounds as he touched me, loving the feel of his every touch. His hands were strong and steady, and I couldn’t get enough.