Stella’s eyes sparkled, as if she wanted to say more. But it wasn’t really the time or the place.
“Well, I guess that’s settled,” Hank said, clearing his throat. Bear risked a look at his friend, who wore a bemused expression. “Is it dinnertime yet? Because I’m starved. It’s hungry work watching you two drama queens duke it out all day.”
“I’ll grab my jacket,” Stella said, turning back toward her little room.
Bear found his own jacket and pulled it on. Then he took a deep breath. He was going to have to learn not to rise to her bait every single time. There was nobody on the planet who could get Bear worked up like Stella could. With a private grin down at his boots, he gave his head a little shake. There was a reason Stella had such an effect on him. The best kind of reason. From now on, he was going to enjoy it, and try not to fuck it up.
His phone chimed with a text, and he pulled it out of his pocket automatically. The screen showed a profile shot this time — Stella’s breast, her hand supporting the underside, fingers splayed on the soft swell precisely where he would like to put his own hand. The effect on his body was immediate. His groin warmed, his dick growing heavy with anticipation.
Check, please. Bear powered his phone all the way down for caution’s sake. He would have to have a little chat with Stella later about how awkward it would be if anyone was standing nearby when one of those texts showed up. Would she listen? Probably not. Because giving him a jolt was the whole point, right?
Go with it, he coached himself. Pick your battles. It was a skill he’d need to learn. Stella was right.
He zipped his jacket, hoping to hide the lingering effects of Stella’s sexy selfie. Then he went next door to share a meal with his friends and his girl.
Twenty-Six
THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, BEAR lay on his belly on a hotel room bed with Hank.
Sure, it wasn’t the Lazarus sibling that he wanted to be next to. But until Hank turned in for the night, Bear was stuck with him. And in the meantime, they were watching today’s footage on his laptop.
“That was a sweet peak,” Hank enthused. “Wish I could have ridden that.”
“Me too, man.” He watched Hank back the cursor up to replay a sick little jump that Duku had done off a cornice. Seconds later, Stella popped off the same jump. The two of them looked gorgeous scissoring down the mountain, one after the other, in the world’s most high-stakes game of tag.
Bear sneaked a look at his friend’s face, finding genuine joy on it. He’d said, “Wish I could have ridden it.” But he’d said it the way anyone would and not like a man who couldn’t stand the reality of his own life.
On the screen, Duku wiped out in a big puff of powder. “Whoops.” Hank chuckled. “Save that bit for the blooper reel.”
Bear’s heart swelled then. They’d racked up a hell of a blooper reel these past twenty years. But here they were, on a hotel bed in Alaska, finishing off a couple of beers from the minibar. And happy.
Somehow, he’d done a lot of what he’d set out to do. He was on his way to making a great film. He’d dragged Hank out of the house. Way out of the house. He’d brought Stella to Alaska, where she’d always wanted to go. He’d told her how he felt.
That last one mattered most.
Bear got up to brush his teeth. If Hank ever went to sleep, Bear could go down to Stella’s room and tell her again.
* * *
Two hours later, Bear let himself out of their darkened hotel room, closing the door as silently as he could. He took the elevator down one floor, then pulled a copy of Stella’s key out of his pocket. (One of the perks of being in charge of absofuckinglutely everything was having access to any hotel keys he needed.) He swiped the card and opened the door. “Hi buddy,” he whispered, to prevent her from worrying that a stranger had invaded.
There was only silence. She was asleep on her side, dark hair streaming over the sheet she’d pulled up to her neck. She’d left a lamp burning in the corner, probably for his sake. Bear tiptoed over to the light and extinguished it. He undressed, dropping his clothes on a chair. Lifting the covers, he climbed into bed with her.
Bear moved over until he felt the satin warmth of her skin against his. Like him, she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing. He smiled to himself as Stella stirred in her sleep, tucking her body closer to his.
Don’t touch, he ordered himself. He would not to be selfish. Even though he ached to roll her into his arms and touch her everywhere, he would just let her rest. She’d ridden several thousand feet of vertical drop this morning, carving up those snow-covered descents like a woman on a mission. It was no surprise that she was worn out.
Still. Her hair smelled like citrus, and he couldn’t resist kissing her once on the temple. She was right there. Finally. This afternoon, he’d driven their van back to Anchorage. It had been hard to keep his eyes on the road when all he really wanted to do was sneak looks at her in the rearview mirror.
Now, he snuggled up as close as possible. He didn’t want to disturb her, but she was irresistible. Carefully, he tucked an arm around her waist.
Stella shifted, finding his hand and clasping it. “Sleepy,” she murmured.
He grinned in the dark. “I know. It’s okay. Sleep.”
Bear closed his eyes, too, although sleeping was pretty much hopeless. His body had not failed to measure his proximity to a very naked Stella. But no matter. He’d lie here awake, drinking in the scent of her hair and her clean skin. This was too good to sleep through. He could sleep tomorrow on the plane.
After a time, Stella’s feet curled back, clasping his. Even though he’d stayed still, she was waking up. Finally, she rolled over, her dark eyes glinting in the dim light. “Hey there, sailor.” One warm hand landed on the scruff of his cheek. He hadn’t shaved earlier, because Hank might notice and wonder why.
“Hey there, yourself.”
“How did the footage look?” she asked.
He pressed closer, pulling her hips toward his body. “What footage?”
Stella giggled. And then they were kissing, and it was glorious. Bear purposefully held himself back, sliding his lips across hers as lazily as he could manage. For once, they had time. He’d attacked her like such a beast yesterday. Tonight would be different.
Slowly — very slowly — he eased her onto her back. She dragged her fingernails up his spine, making him shudder. Bear dropped his face down, finding the sweet juncture of her neck and shoulder with his lips. He placed slow, open-mouthed kisses on her shoulder, and then the pulse-point fluttering at her neck. This was the girl he wanted in his bed forever. There was no one alive who challenged him the way Stella did. There was no one alive who loved him the way Stella did. He saw it in her eyes whenever she looked at him. It had been there his whole life, and he’d been too stupid to see it.
Gently, he traveled downward, kissing between her breasts. He nibbled the soft swells, chuckling into the skin. “You were killing me with those photos yesterday. You know the picture just pops up on the phone, right? For the whole world to see?”
She wiggled beneath him. “That’s a setting you can change on your phone.”
He snickered. “Am I going to have to change it?”
“If you know what’s good for you.” Stella arched, pressing more of her beautiful breast against his mouth. He opened up, taking as much of her nipple against his tongue as he could. And Stella gave a moan of approval.
It wasn’t long until they were both panting with desire. God. To be with Stella like this was even better than his fantasies. The way she gasped his name sent shivers down his spine. It was a struggle to break off their kisses, but it had to be done. “Buddy, I need to grab a condom.”
At that, Stella’s voice became low and serious. “You don’t, actually. Not for pregnancy, anyway.”
Her tone was so serious that Bear forced his libido back a few clicks on the dial and tried to concentrate. “I’m clean,” he said. “And the last person I was with was you.”
>
Her mouth quirked into a smile. “That was yesterday, Bear. Forgive me if I’m not impressed.”
He chuckled, his lips an inch off of hers. “I meant in Tahoe, dummy.”
Even in the dark, he could see her eyes widen. “Oh. The same is true for me.”
“What a waste, right?” He took her mouth in a bossy kiss. He’d been lonely for more than a year, and so had Stella. And all because he’d been stubborn and insecure.
“Mmm,” she said. But she broke off their kiss. “Bear, I have to tell you this now. Because if it’s a big deal, I need to know.”
Something in her tone made him snap to attention. “What’s the matter?”
She put a warm hand on the side of his face. “I can’t have children. And maybe it’s presumptuous of me to project so far ahead. But I know you want them. And if that’s going to be an issue for you…” She broke off, sounding sad. “Maybe we shouldn’t start something that’s going to end badly.”
“Buddy, no.” He gave her a quick kiss. “I’m not going to feel bad about that. Christ. The bigger risk is that we waste more time apart. I want you, whether you can pop out babies or not.” He rolled off of her and onto his side, pulling Stella into a hug.
“Think about it, though, before you say that. For some people it’s a big deal.”
He shook his head. “For some people I’m sure it is. But I don’t have my life planned out like that. We’re not planners, Stella.” He gave her a squeeze. “You and I, we take it as it comes.”
She burrowed into his chest. “That’s true, isn’t it? We’re not big on writing a five-year projection.”
The sexy mood was broken, but Bear didn’t really mind. He wanted this too — lying side by side, hearing all the things on Stella’s mind. “Boring people make plans,” he said, and Stella laughed. “Buddy, I’m sorry if you feel bad about the baby thing. But there’s always adoption. That could be an adventure. And we’re good with adventure.”
“Maybe.” She yawned.
He smoothed her hair away from her face. He’d always wanted to touch her like this. They’d both been lonely. And now they didn’t need to be. If a family wasn’t in the cards, that only meant more time for naked affection.
They lazed together for a while, and Stella’s head began to feel heavy on his chest. Holding her, Bear listened to her lengthening breaths. Then he joined her in her dreams.
Twenty-Seven
THE NEXT MORNING, STELLA woke up to the sensation of her new boyfriend reaching over her hip to stoke her tummy. As she came to, his hand slipped between her legs. While his fingers slowly teased her, she let out a sleepy sigh. “What time is it?”
“Only seven thirty,” he whispered, his fingertips skimming all the right places. “Nobody will be looking for us for a while.”
She shivered with pleasure as he tightened his grip on her body. Even better, he drew her knee up, fitting the length of his erection between her legs where she could reach it. She tightened her thighs around him, and he reached both arms around her, palming her breasts, his mouth on the back of her neck.
There was nothing like a little hotel room sex to heat a girl up fast.
When she took him in from behind, he groaned. After a minute, he rolled her onto her elbows and knees, his hands cupping her breasts while he rocked into her. Stella closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of his powerful body curled around hers.
“You could not be any sexier,” he whispered as they moved together. “But I want your mouth on mine.” With a lusty grunt, he pulled out and rolled onto his back. “Come here,” he demanded.
It was funny how Bear’s bossy tone was so much more appealing when they were both naked.
He lifted her onto his broad chest. Their eyes locked. Slowly, she slipped him inside, and his eyes squeezed shut in appreciation. “Damn, lady,” he said. “Even if your brother decks me, it will be worth it.”
Stella ground her hips onto his. “Hush,” she said.
“Shut me up, then.”
She dropped down, tilting her head, capturing his mouth in a wet kiss. Beneath her, Bear’s hips jacked up. He took control, steering her hips against his. And then there was no more talking, only gasps of pleasure and the steam of skin against skin.
They lay there afterward, holding each other as the clock ticked forward. “I don’t want to get out of this bed,” Stella said.
“I hear you. But we have to turn up in the lobby eventually. You can have the first shower,” Bear offered.
Eventually, she talked herself into getting up. After a shower, she tossed all her belongings in her bag, straightened up the bed and combed her wet hair. Then she tapped on the bathroom door, where Bear was showering. “Yeah!” he answered.
She opened the door. “I come in search of a hair dryer,” she said.
“I think I saw one somewhere.”
She looked around the hotel bathroom, but then heard a knock at the door. “Room service.” The voice was muffled by the sound of running water.
Stella hadn’t heard Bear order anything, but she went to open the door anyway.
And there sat her brother, smiling up at her.
Stella’s mouth fell open. The sound of the shower ended, and the next thing she heard was Bear’s voice. “Did you find it, buddy?”
Hank pushed the door open just as Stella turned around to see, as she feared, Bear standing completely naked in the open bathroom doorway.
“Oh, I’m sure she found it,” Hank said.
Never had a man moved so quickly to grab a towel than Bear did right then.
“Actually, dude, I’ve seen your junk before,” Hank said. “And I’m guessing my baby sister has too.”
Stella was still rooted to the rug, too surprised to speak. She could only watch as her brother rolled past her, flicking the door closed behind him. He crossed over to the display of mini bar items on the console. Hank chose a small can of mixed nuts and popped open the top.
“Hank,” Bear said quietly, the towel around his waist. “You’re up early.”
Hank chuckled and put an almond into his mouth. “Just think, Bear. What if I’d been even earlier?”
Bear closed his eyes. “I was going to talk to you tomorrow after we got home.”
“What? And spoil the surprise?” He pointed a pecan at Stella. “You two are a couple of knuckleheads. Why all the secrecy?”
“I just thought…” Bear shook his head. “Your little sister.”
Hank shook the can of nuts. “Look, if you hurt her, it won’t be mixed nuts that I’m cracking. It will be yours.” He grinned at his own joke. “But if you’re both happy, I don’t have a problem with it.”
Stella sat down on the edge of the bed, relieved Hank wasn’t going to make a big deal about this. Although Bear still looked worried. With his mouth tight, he took his boxers and his jeans into the bathroom and shut the door.
“Stella, Stella.” Hank chuckled. “You should have seen your face when I opened the door. If only I’d had my camera ready.”
She picked up a bed pillow and bonked him over the head with it. “You don’t have to gloat.”
“Why would you rob me of my fun?” he asked, wrestling the weapon out of her hands.
When the bathroom door opened, Bear came out dressed from the waist down. “Actually, Hank, we didn’t tell you because we just don’t like you all that much.”
Hank threw the pillow at Bear. “Put on a shirt. Let’s all go out for breakfast.”
“I’ll just be one minute,” Stella said, ducking into the bathroom to finally dry her hair.
* * *
Bear took her spot on the edge of the bed and began pulling on his socks. When Stella closed the bathroom door, he cleared his throat. “Look… I…” Unfortunately, he hadn’t prepared the speech yet. And there was so much riding on it. “Uh, I know I’m not much of a catch. And maybe we caught you off guard. But this is not just a fling. I hope your parents aren’t too pissed.”
Hank made
an irritated noise. “I love you, man. But you’re kind of an idiot.”
“I know,” Bear said quickly.
“No, you fucking don’t know. First of all, I know you’d never treat Stella like just a cheap fling. You guys have been friends forever. You don’t have to explain that shit to me, okay? And anybody with eyes can see you two have been circling each other for years. But that’s not even the dumbest thing you said. My mom, for the record, would lie down in the road for you. And not just because you’ve been my fucking hero for the last fifteen months. Are you listening to me?”
“Yeah.” Bear was listening. It’s just that the back of his throat had begun to burn, and he was having trouble looking Hank in the eye.
“My parents have always thought the world of you. And not because of all the shit that went down at your house. It’s because you’re such a rock. I guess my mom never said those things to your face. But she loves you to death, man. She always has. This will make that more convenient for her, okay?”
Now Bear was finding it really hard to swallow. “That’s…” He cleared his throat again. “Nice to hear, man. Your mom has always been good to me.”
Hank put a hand on his shoulder. “Not nearly as good as you’ve been to me. I don’t think I would have made it through the last year and a half without you. Felt like the whole world forgot about me. But not you, man. You kept showing up. So I kept getting out of bed in the morning and putting a brave face on it. Because I knew I was going to hear your tires in my driveway eventually, and you’d knock on the door and hold me accountable. That’s all that kept me going for a while, until I got over the hump. Maybe I should have said this before, okay? But I notice that shit. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing,” Bear choked out.
“It’s a whole lot more than nothing. And that’s why my parents aren’t going to lose any sleep over the fact that you’re in flux with your life, the same way that Stella and I are. Because if you put even half as much effort into taking care of Stella the way you took care of me, that’s better than anyone else could ever do. I always had a hunch you two would end up together. That’s why I asked you to look after her when I left for Utah. I didn’t want to see her end up with some loser.”