Dorian Read online

  That man with me? Forever? We had one date, and he made it crystal clear we were a thing. We were the real deal.

  It just sounds so good. So I backed off. Just a little, just to see what he would do. After all, if he just wanted the sex, he’d be mad at me, no?

  But he respected me. Dorian was perfect, from beginning to end. We cooked, then we sat down to have dinner and talked more. We plopped down on the couch and watched a movie. Couple stuff. He massaged my feet and kissed my forehead, and he just did everything right.

  When I wake up in the morning, it’s to the smell of pancakes. My stomach rumbles as I turn in bed momentarily lost to my surroundings. Then last night comes back and I’m smiling into the pillow as I remember how amazing he was. Sitting up, I check I’m by myself in bed, still in my dress even if it’s disheveled now.

  I get up and use the bathroom, doing my best to look presentable. I don’t remember falling asleep, but I know we were watching a movie. Which one is the hard part. I was too preoccupied with feeling Dorian up as I snuggled into his chest.

  The couch in the living room has a sheet, and a pillow dropped over it, so I know Dorian has slept in it while I used his bed. Cutest thing ever. I wouldn’t have expected it, neither I would have been offended — it’s his bed after all, and it’s big enough for us to share. But it just makes him more of a gentleman.

  Dorian stands by his stove in a pair of trekking pants and a white shirt that clings to his hard body. His back muscles move with his motions, and I’m hypnotized for a moment. But this time, doubt doesn’t creep up on me. I just feel… elated. Thankful.

  Fearless.

  “Good morning.” He smiles over his shoulder at me, and damn, it makes my heart goes boom.

  “Morning yourself.” I’m physically unable of keeping the smile off my face. Our eyes meet and my stomach turns. “You’ve been up for long? I have no idea of the time.”

  He shakes his head as I stand by his side, watching him expertly flipping a pancake. “It’s a quarter past eight. You could’ve slept a little longer. I was going to wake you up for breakfast.”

  No one has ever done that for me. It makes me gush a little. Oh, who am I fooling? I gush a lot.

  “Thanks, Dorian. You’ve been so kind to me. I didn’t even notice I had fallen asleep and you let me have your bed.”

  He shrugs, grinning. “I had no guts to wake you up and take you home. You look so gorgeous when you’re asleep.”

  “Yeah, right.” I chuckle, readjusting my hair over a shoulder as I chew on my lip.

  His gaze drops to my mouth, and his eyes are so full of affection I’m sure I can read his every feeling. “You do. I don’t think I’ll ever be over how stunning you look. I’m truly a lucky bear.”

  A grin escapes me. “How is he doing? Still mad?”

  He bursts in laughter. “No, not much. I’ve let him take a breather earlier but he doesn’t give a shit. He was actually kind of mad I left you back here sleeping. He insists we should never be parted again.”

  I take a step closer, brushing our arms together. “He’s kind of possessive, eh?”

  “He is. He wants to be sure you’re safe at all times. But I can’t blame him. And don’t worry, I just ran around the edge of the forest so I could keep an eye on the cabin. I never left you completely.” He smiles and slips the last pancake to an enormous pile to a side. “I brewed some coffee. If you want some juice, I can check if one of my fellow bears have it.”

  “No, coffee is just fine.” I follow him out of the kitchen and into the dining table. He has already set it up for us, the chairs close together. I can’t help but smile at it. When we sit down, I notice the pile of pancakes is high enough to reach my eye-level and I laugh. “Dorian, I know I’m a big girl, but you didn’t need to cook these many pancakes.”

  He pours two mugs of coffee. “Baby, three things. First, while you’re with me, I’m keeping you fed. It’s nonsense to eat so little when we have food at our disposal. Not everyone is this lucky. Second, I like to cook, and I want to cook for you. Third.” He reaches out and digs his fork into several pancakes, piling half of the main plate into his. “I eat a lot. I’m a bear, and my bear loves some sugar. Don’t feel shy.”

  I eat to my heart’s content and Dorian doesn’t even bat an eye as I repeat it. He keeps my mug filled with coffee and my pancakes covered in syrup, and he smiles with those dreamy eyes of his at me. Conversation flows as if I was chatting with Vivian instead of with a man I barely know.

  Is Dorian for real? He does feel like the stuff of dreams.

  He looks like it too.

  Dorian asks me the smallest of things. My favorite flower, my favorite songs, and movies. He wants to know what I like and don’t like, and he stares at me, nodding as if he’s trying to commit it all to memory for later use. He listens to me going on about my parents over and over. He’s dedicated. Definitely wants to prove he’s in it.

  I do the dishes as he folds the sheet on the couch, and we spend the rest of Saturday cooped up, watching TV. He shows me his favorite movies and I show him mine, and he watches them with such rapt attention I’m sure he’s afraid I’ll quiz him after it.

  Dorian’s just like me. He prefers to stay home. The only difference is that the forest is a part of it.

  The sun is dying down behind the trees when I notice I haven’t changed out of the dress. But I don’t want to break this spell. I don’t want to go home. If I’m alone, I’ll overthink this entire thing and I’ll probably come to my senses.

  “Dorian.” I turn to face him, his hand brushing down my shoulder. “I… I feel like changing out of this dress.”

  His gaze rakes down my form and a shiver runs down my body with it. “You can have one of my shirts.” His voice lowers to such a husky tone my throat dries up. He can make anything sound filthy.

  I love the idea of dressing in one of his shirts. Smelling his musky scent around me. Encapsulating me. “We’ve already spent the whole day together. Don’t you want me to go home?”

  His eyes flicker. “No. I don’t want to. But I’ll drive you there if you wish.”

  “You don’t want to?”

  Dorian shifts, bringing me up to his lap. I plop down over his erection. It makes me gasp, my hands reaching his shoulders to grip strong muscle. His fingers skim down my body to curl around my hips, in such a possessive manner I find myself sorry for suggesting he wanted me gone.

  “Bella.” He buries his face in my neck, his breath making me shudder. “Bella,” he calls again, his voice lower than a murmur. “Of course I don’t want you gone. I’ve dreamed of having you since I first shifted. I want to be in your presence every second. But I also know this is a shifter thing, and you might find it too much.” He pulls back, meeting my eyes. “I will do anything you want. Just don’t stay parted from me for long.”

  Words have abandoned me, so I cradle his angled jaw and kiss his lips. Dorian sighs against my mouth, folding his arms around me and pulling me even closer. The kiss grows heated and soon enough I’m circling my hips over his hard-on.

  To be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing. But it feels good, so I keep doing that. Seeking friction. Feeding my pleasure.

  Dorian’s roar rumbles through his chest, vibrating against my hands. “Keep doing that, baby, and I won’t let you leave before my cock’s buried deep between these thick thighs.”

  My cheeks flush but not out of shame. My heart beats triple time and I hyperventilate. The cock beneath my ass-cheeks twitches, hard and long and thick, and I wonder if I’d be able to take him in my mouth. He’s so big. I’d certainly have problems.

  But Dorian’s rough hands feel so good running up and down my sides. With every brush of his fingers, he tugs on my dress a little, hiking an inch higher, higher… Until my panties can be clearly seen. Dorian digs the fingers of a hand into my exposed thigh, and the skin-to-skin contact explodes arousal from inside me. His touch is like fire, and his kisses along the base of my jaw do not
help.

  I grip his shoulders, scraping my nails down his biceps. The sounds coming from me grow out of breath and desperate, my head dangling from one side to the other, offering my skin to Dorian. He licks along my pulse and nibbles on my earlobes, driving more and more juices from within me.

  “The scent of your arousal is bewitching me,” he growls against the hollow of my throat.

  Can he smell me? God, that’s so… hot.

  I double the efforts of my kisses, sucking his lower lip between mine and raking my teeth along it. Dorian’s touches grow harsher, almost to a bruising point. He massages my thigh higher and higher up, his thumb brushing along the hem of the dress. My skin crawls, covered in electricity.

  Touch me touch me touch me

  I’ve never had a man touch me there. Now, that’s all I can think about. His hands on me. His mouth exploring every inch of my body. Should I let him undress me? Take me? Mark me as his mate?

  Is he going to like what he sees?

  Just as Dorian’s thumb teases the hem of my panties, he stops. He breaks the kiss, his breath coming out in gasps. I meet his eyes, uncertainty crawling its way up my throat.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, my voice tiny.

  He opens a shaky smile. “You’re so much. My bear is fighting for control.”

  Making circles with my thumbs on his temples, I look deeply into his eyes, wishing he could read inside my soul. “Let him be. I want you. I want the whole of you.” Biting into my lower lip, I try to read his sweet and yet unnerving gaze. “What does it take for you to mate me? Just sex?”

  He releases a faint groan. “No.” He kisses a spot between my neck and shoulder. “It’s a bite mark. It hurts for a second, I’ve heard, then you’re mine. No shifter would approach you.”

  My breathing coming out in gasps, I hold him closer. “Is it… visible?”

  He shakes his head. “Just for shifters.”

  Breathing against his lips, I part my legs and his digits brush ever so slightly against my soaking core. My heart flutters and I gasp.

  Something shoots across Dorian and he picks me up, standing and sitting me on the couch. His face holds a wild expression, something entirely different from the other expressions I’ve seen on his handsome face. I wait for him to strip or take me to bed, but instead, he steps away.

  “Baby, would you give me ten minutes? I’ll hunt for our dinner, run a little with my bear so he can calm down. Then I’ll come back and treat you like the goddess you are.”

  His face is conflicted as if he has something fighting inside him. Which I guess he does. I chuckle.

  “Sure. I’ll be waiting.”

  Pecking my lips, he leaves. I think about running to the window to watch him shift, but I’m too nervous to do anything other than sit and stare.

  It’s going to be my first time. With a man who believes I’m his fated mate.

  I wait for my legs to be steady enough, then I search for my bag and phone. Vivian has left me a couple of messages, wondering about the date. I remember everything that has happened since we met, and it’s surprising it’s been less than a day.

  BELLA: Hey there. Just to let you know I’m fine. Dorian’s great. I’m at his place in a private part bordering the National Park.

  VIVIAN: Oh, I’ve heard shifters were living close to that area! Did he punch your V-card?

  BELLA: Not yet. He went out to, and I quote, “hunt for dinner and calm down his bear”. We’re doing it when he comes back.

  VIVIAN: lol

  VIVIAN: That’s awesome. Did he take you home yesterday and has already asked you on a second date?

  BELLA: Nope! The restaurant sucked, so he brought me here and cooked for me. I slept on his bed and he slept on the couch.

  VIVIAN: No action???

  BELLA: No, he was the perfect gentleman.

  VIVIAN: Well, I guess to each their own. Is he hot like the pictures you showed me?

  A strange sense of jealousy fills my stomach like lead. I don’t like it.

  BELLA: Yeah. He makes me feel amazing.

  He makes me feel amazing.

  I haven’t thought about it until now. But he makes me feel safe. He’s so sure of how right we are for one another, I have no other option than to agree with him.

  He wants me the way I am. And I want to give everything to him.

  8

  BELLA

  Shutting the cabin door behind me, I let my eyes get used to the darkness around.

  There are other cabins around the patch of land, though it’s roomy enough to give everyone their piece of privacy and silence. The silence…! It’s so unusual to be somewhere this peaceful. I hear the rustling of leaves and what may be the croak of a frog. Birds chirping in the distance as the night falls and covers the park.

  My blood thrums. I feel so ready. So brave. I want to see it all and give my all to Dorian and this new life. This new part of it. Dorian has left minutes ago, but he said he’d be quick, so I know he’s around. He also said he’d never be far from me.

  I want to see him. In his bear form. And I want to prove to myself I have nothing to fear. Nothing when he’s here to protect me.

  Stepping down from the porch in my bare feet, I walk around the house to the back, where it faces the woods. Filling my lungs with deep breaths, I gaze into the dark forest, the light of the rising moon illuminating massive tree trunks.

  It’s quiet, placid, but alive. My feet caress the grass, the blades finding their ways between my toes. My dress is short for the evening breeze, but I tilt my chin up and rub my arms, readying to leave. My panties are still sodden from the activities moments ago, but I brace myself and part from the house, walking into the forest.

  It’s a hundred feet from the house, and I cross the space easily. My feet tread over pebbles and wood, but I keep going. I want to see him. I want to find Dorian and just tell him I’m ready to be his mate. To be his.

  The trees approach, getting bigger. Ancient trunks I could not hug with both arms open. Just after the tree line, I stop and look back. The house is still visible; the windows illuminated by the warm orange light. I squint at the trees, looking sideways, but I can’t see anything that catches my eye. A bear definitely would.

  Dorian must be deeper into the woods. He can’t hunt (whatever it is he’s going to hunt) so close to the houses. So I cross the threshold of the forest and start my path inside it. Soon enough, the undergrowth becomes uncomfortable to walk barefoot, but I don’t regret my choice. Sharp pines and branches pinch at my soles and make me slip, but I endure and keep going. Dorian’s going to find me soon enough, smell me or whatever, and maybe I can even catch a ride back to the house.

  Catch a ride. On top of a bear-shifter.

  I giggle, and the sound echoes around the trees. Strangely, it seems to have grown quieter than before. I squint, trying to see better, but I still can’t see the shape of a bear around. Looking back over my shoulder, I’m surprised by how far I’ve walked. The trees close behind me, and the park dell is impossible to descry.

  But I’m close enough and I’ve been walking in a straight line. It would be easy to go back if I wanted to.

  A shiver runs down my spine as if a cold finger has touched the base of my neck. I freeze, my steps halting. For a moment, all I hear is the loud beating of my heart in my ears.

  Then a branch snaps. My heart leaps. It’s close.

  Whirling around as soundless as I can, which is not soundless at all, I search for whoever did it. I still can’t see the large shadow of a bear, unless Dorian’s bear is smaller than usual…

  Something moves and catches my eye. I face it, hoping for a rabbit or something.

  The moonlight glimmers off the silver pelt. I don’t know how it’s gotten so close to me, so fast, but it did.

  It’s the largest wolf I have ever seen.

  My blood curls inside my veins, freezing to the tips of my toes. Breath’s punched out of my lungs and I stare. It’s a beautiful animal, larg
e and imposing, a pair of golden eyes staring up at me. It’s so big the head easily reaches the top of my thighs.

  I don’t move. I try not to show fear, but I’m sure it can smell it on me. Panic sticks to me like a second skin.

  Dorian. Please, please.

  The wolf takes one step after another. It has intelligent eyes, studying me with interest. It drops its head to the ground and sniffs closer. It keeps on snuffing and approaching me. God, is it judging if I’m good food?

  “I don’t taste good,” I try, my voice breaking. My tongue glues to the roof of my mouth, my chest heaving with how hard it is to breathe. “Really, I must taste horrible.”

  The wolf snorts. Almost as if it understands me. It sniffs the air, then approaches me until the muzzle touches my toes. I curl them, slinking back into a tree trunk, hoping I can sink into it. The wet, cold nose comes up my shin and knee and touches my thigh. The wolf takes a deep sniff, touching the end of its muzzle just beneath the hemline of my dress.

  Then it looks up at me and opens an unmistakable grin.

  My head goes lighter. It’s not a wolf. It’s too intelligent to be a wolf.

  A shifter. And he’s smelling my arousal.

  I clamp my thighs together and he takes a step back and sits on his hind legs. He arches his back, and I half-expect him to turn into a man. Fear grips at my throat, making me choke, and tears sting the back of my eyes. Where is Dorian?

  He’s abandoned me. Just like every other person in my life.

  He said he’d be close but now there’s a pervert shifter sniffling my panties, and he’s not here, as he promised.

  My heart shatters as I curl my hands in fists, readying to escape.

  But before the wolf does anything else, his head snaps to a side, ears twitching.

  I hear it too. Heavy steps pounding into the forest floor. Darting in our direction.

  The wolf has just a second to drop into a fighting stance before a huge bear shoots out from between the trees and slams into him. They clash so viciously I feel the forest floor shaking, and I drop to the ground, shrinking myself and trying to stay out of the way.