When she stopped, he stopped too, hiding—half-assed—behind a boulder. His furry earsmusthave been poking out over the top. Fern lingered at a spot about fifty yards from where his house stood, hidden by trees. Spiraling her paddle in the water, she slowly turned the bow of her boat toward his hiding spot and started his way.
While his bear breathed deeply, filling his lungs with all-consuming contentment, Elliott panicked. Had she spotted him? Was she being coy? Impossible. She hadn’t even glanced up.
With a small grunt, she shoved her paddle straight down into the cobbled river bottom and poled the kayak to shore.
“Don’t move a muscle, you asshole. Change back or stay hidden,”Elliott pleaded.
He didn’t get his human body back, but at least his bear stayed put while Fern climbed out of the kayak and splashed to the dry rocks.
Turning her back, she pulled her boat up further, then hugged herself. Her pointy pink nails gripped her tank top as she stripped it off, revealing her matching hot pink bikini beneath. Yesterday’s suit was purple. Yesterday’s nails were, too.
Her shorts followed, and Elliott’s bear breathed deeply, happy to find her scent heavy on the warm air. She put the sweet cedar notes of summer to shame.
Purring low and steady, his bear blinked slowly, and Elliott shouted at him to keep his damn eyes open.
Today’s suit provided far more coverage than yesterday’s thong, but this one was sexier. The way the back panel only offered a peek of her cheeks made him imagine hooking a finger beneath the puckered fabric to slide it aside. He wanted to lick her all over. Wanted to squeeze her and smell her, put his mouth on her, and feel those nails digging into his back as he trapped her beneath him.
When Fern waded in and dipped low in the current, only to rise with her bottoms clinging to her crack, his bear gave up the fight and charged.
“Fuck you! Stop, stop, stop!”Elliot screamed as his grizzly crashed through the shrubbery, beelining for her.
She spun toward him and gasped, eyes round.
“Shift back! Shift, you asshole!”
Gingerly, she backed away, hands out for protection.
“If you don’t fucking shift right this second, I swear tofuckI will never let you out again.”
“Elliott?” she exhaled his name, soft and wispy. Her nipples puckered beneath her swimsuit, and her pulse picked up, ticking in her neck.
She was terrified, and it was his fault. He was such a loser—him and his bear.“If you won’t shift, dosomethingto show her you’re safe. Be fucking submissive, you cock.”
Finally listening—somewhat—his grizzly dropped and rolled onto his back, soaking himself in the process. At least he showed her his belly.
A nervous laugh bubbled from Fern’s mouth as she planted her hands on her hips.
Rising slowly to his feet, Elliott’s bear approached, ears twitching and his drooling at a minimum—for the moment.
“Can I pet you?” she asked, tentatively lifting a hand.
Without so much as blinking, he showed her his side, then shuffled in to rub against her… with far too much force. Fern splashed into the creek, and panic flashed in her eyes before she leapt up, trying to laugh it off. “Oh my god, I said petyou,not you pet me. Ew, you smell. Stop that.”
“Give me back my body!”Elliott yelled at his bear, who backed away a bit but refused to cede control.
Opening his jaw playfully—but Fern didn’t know that—he stepped toward her again, wanting to engage.
“Shift back, Elliott! You’re scaring me.” Though she tried to moderate her voice, fear tightened it.
“Give me control, you stupid motherfucker!”
Nope. Clapping his jaws closed, his grizzly moved in, shoving his nose into her neck and inhaling. As Fern froze from the contact, a low rumble rose from his bear.
“Shift the fuck back. Comeon,dude.”
When he dropped his muzzle, Elliott hoped his beast was about to back away, maybe even retreat fully. But, no. He stuck his nose underwater and brought it up between her legs,liftingher so he could smell her in the air.
If that wasn’t the most embarrassing shit his bear had ever done. Holyfuck.
