I growled. “She’s too weak to leave.”
Mom ruffled my hair, the same way she had when I was little. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll give her a reason to stay.”
I glanced over at her but she was already out the door. The door closed softly and I was alone with Mason and Sammie. They were both on the king sized bed, curled into one another. Mason had nuzzled his head into her stomach as soon as they were both on the bed. He loved her, too. It was clear.
The thought of her leaving had my bear pushing through. I let the shift take over and paced the room before leaning against the wall, watching them.
CHAPTER 5: Sammie
I woke up and stretched. My shoulders ached, but I’d grown used to the stinging pain. Mason had definitely left his mark on me. I opened my eyes and took in the unfamiliar ceiling above me.
Mason was curled up next to me, his wet nose shoved against my stomach where my shirt had ridden up. He stirred and looked up at me, blinking the sleepiness out of his little bear eyes.
I heard his belly growl and sat up. My head hurt, and as the memories flooded back and I remembered the reason for the headache, it worsened. I buried my face in my hands and groaned. I’d passed out. I’d never passed out before in my life. What the hell?
A low snore sounded from my left and I jerked my eyes over to the giant sleeping bear across the room. His large furry body was sprawled in front of the door. I felt warmth creeping through my body. I knew it was Lucas. I’d seen him as a bear and recognized the huge beast.
“Let’s see if we can get out of here without waking your Daddy.” I stood up and crept across the room. My body ached and I wondered how long I’d been out.
Mason seemed lighter as he jumped down from the bed and hurried behind me on all fours. He sniffed at Lucas and then climbed up on the sleeping bear’s back.
I laughed, enjoying seeing Mason act more like a kid than a sulking, sullen animal. I leaned over to scoop him off of his Dad’s back, but suddenly found myself being grabbed.
Lucas was on top of me in a second, a man again, completely naked. He’d changed so fast that I’d just seen a blur as he pulled me under him. Mason still clung to his back, making excited sounds.
My heart pounded away in my chest, attempting to break free from its own body. I couldn’t find words as I felt Lucas’s muscular body pressed firmly against mine. I looked into his golden eyes. A lock of his curly hair had fallen across his forehead. The man was even more visually pleasing up close.
I felt like I was on fire. Everywhere his body touched, I burned with the ache of wanting more.
He leaned on his forearms on either side of my head and slowly smiled at me. “Don’t you know never to wake a sleeping bear?”
His voice was deeper than normal, rough from sleep, and it sent chills down to my core. I bit my lip and tried to remember what I was doing at his house. It was hard, though. I could hear Mason actually playing on his father’s bare back. He was obviously safe. Without him to worry about, my body had all of its energy back. To focus on Lucas.
“What happens when a sleeping bear is awakened?”
His grin was fierce as he leaned closer. “You owe that bear a kiss.”
My eyes went wide and an embarrassing little gasp escaped my mouth. “A kiss?”
Lucas nodded. “Yep. A kiss. Sometimes, it has to be paid at a later date, due to little bear circumstances, but yes. You owe me a kiss. I’ll collect it later.”
I nodded before I realized what I was doing. Then, I moved under him, attempting to slide myself free. I brushed against his very hard length of manhood and felt my face go red. “Mason’s hungry.”
“Scaredy-cat.” Lucas immediately rolled over, though. He laughed as Mason tumbled off of him and bounced off the wall behind him. “Watch out, little cub.”
I scooped Mason up and practically ran from the room. Everything about Lucas left me feeling completely out of control. It wasn’t horrible, but it was insane. I’d just met the man. I didn’t know him from any stranger on the street, yet my body reacted to him like a silly schoolgirl.
Carolyn was in the kitchen, grinning to herself over the stove. There were massive piles of food spread out on the counters around her, enough to feed a small army.
“Wow. Are you having a party?”
She turned her bright sunshiny smile on me and called me over. “Kind of. Most of the family will be coming over this morning. They’re excited to meet Mason and you.”
I frowned. “Me?”
She laughed. “Yes, you. The woman who pulled a gun on Michael and faced Alex down like he was a teddy bear. They’re all impressed by you. You’ll get to meet the girls, too.”