Cozy Bear Autumn, Part Two

*** Please Note: This is Part Two of the Cozy Bear Autumn Story. If you're looking for Part One, CLICK HERE!

For the next three days, Lola miraculously managed not to run into Dane. She began to suspect that he might not be staying at the hotel anymore, but she still didn’t let her guard down. She wasn’t taking any chances on crossing paths with him and being forced into awkward conversation.

Thankfully, Julia hadn’t pressed her too much about why she didn’t want to hang out with Andy and his best friend. Lola had said that she wanted to focus on spending time with Julia, and Julia had allowed her to leave it at that, even though Lola knew Julia suspected there was more to it than that.

What was Lola supposed to say, though? That she couldn’t stop the overwhelming passion she felt for Dane, a man she’d only just met? It sounded ludicrous. True, Julia should understand, since she herself had fallen hard and fast for Andy. But Lola worried that Julia would consider this a case of “do as I say, not as I do,” and warn Lola to stay away from men while her heart was still in turmoil from everything else in her life. And so, Lola kept quiet, hoping that Julia would continue to do the same.

Other than her agonized feelings about Dane, Lola had to admit that Julia had been right about Wood Canyon. The slower pace of life wasn’t boring, as Lola had feared. There were still plenty of interesting things to do, and Lola was having the time of her life. The difference was that Wood Canyon allowed time for true rest and relaxation in between all the fun times. Lola felt like she was getting a true vacation.

But unlike Julia, she didn’t think she could live there permanently. She worried that the rest and relaxation would eventually get old. So no matter how many times Julia hinted at the idea that Lola could solve all her problems by moving, Lola disagreed.

Lola tried to avoid that particular discussion with Julia as much as possible, keeping their conversations focused instead on all the fun they were having. Lola had gone kayaking again, thankfully without Dane, and she had to admit that the sport was a lot more fun than she’d thought. She also went on several hikes with Julia, and the beauty of the autumn woods took her breath away.

There were plenty of indoor activities as well. Lola had painted pottery at a small studio with Julia, as well as taken a cake decorating class at a local bakery. Small town life was turning out to be a lot more interesting than Julia had thought it would be.

Lola was feeling especially excited for that evening’s activity: a book club with Emily, the gal who owned the bookstore across the street from Julia’s donut shop. Lola had already met Emily briefly, and she could see why Julia liked her. Not only did Emily love books, but she was warm and friendly, and had been a great help to Julia in settling into her new life in Wood Canyon. Lola felt a small pang of jealousy when she thought about how much time Emily got to spend with Julia on a regular basis, but did her best to push those dreary thoughts away. Julia had made her choice to move away, and Lola had made her choice not to follow. That’s how life went sometimes, and Lola was glad that Julia had made a good friend to be close by when Lola could not be.

Lola clutched her tote bag nervously as she knocked on the front door of Emily’s bookstore. The store had a large “Sorry, We’re Closed” sign in the front window, but Emily answered Lola’s knock almost immediately.

“Lola! Come in! Julia is already here, and she brought a fabulous selection of leftover donuts from the day. They’ll pair perfectly with the sparkling wine I picked up for us!”

“I didn’t bring anything,” Lola said, kicking herself for not thinking to grab snacks or drinks to share.

But Emily waved away her worries, laughing as she pulled Lola inside and locked the door behind her. “It’s a good thing you didn’t. Wait until you see how much food and drink we already have here!”

Emily hadn’t been kidding. Lola gasped when she saw the spread of food. In addition to the donuts Lola had brought, there were crackers, cheese, and olives, along with a veggie platter.

“All this for a three-person book club?” Lola asked with wide eyes. 

Emily groaned. “At least it’s three people today! When you leave it will be just Julia and me. I can’t seem to interest many people in committing to a book club, but I also can’t seem to pare down the amount of food I purchase. It’s hopeless!”

Lola found it incomprehensible that there weren’t more people interested in a book club. She’d been so excited about the idea of a book club that she’d read the book Julia and Emily were reading in two days, just so she could participate while she was in Wood Canyon.

Julia hopped up and gave Lola a big hug, then, and with her arm still slung around Lola’s shoulder, turned to wink at Emily. “Don’t worry. Lola and I can each eat enough to cover at least three people.”

Lola giggled. It was true. She and Julia both loved food, and had never been shy about indulging in more than their fair share.

“I should have known,” Emily said with an overly dramatic eye roll. “What else would I have expected from a woman who’s dating a bear of a man.”

Lola felt Julia go very tense. When she turned to look at Julia’s face, the color had drained out of it, and Julia’s eyes looked almost angry. Lola frowned. It wasn’t like Julia to take offense at a good-natured joke, especially one about food. The Julia she knew would not have been offended in the least by someone calling her boyfriend a bear. Especially when, to be honest, Andy did kind of look like a bear.

Then again, so did Dane. Lola almost laughed. No wonder Andy and Dane were best friends.

Julia wasn’t laughing, though. She pulled away from hugging Lola and sat down stiffly at the table full of food. “It doesn’t matter how many times you make fun of Andy. I’m not going to stop dating him.”

Lola raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden tension in the room. She glanced at Emily, expecting Emily to react angrily to Julia’s anger. But Emily’s face softened, and she shook her head slowly. 

“I’m sorry, Julia,” Emily said. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. I have nothing against Andy as long as he continues to treat you well.” 

“He will,” Julia said shortly. “He treats me better than any man ever has. You judge him because you don’t know him and don’t understand him. Just because he’s a bit quiet and aloof doesn’t mean he’s not a good man.”

“Fair enough,” Emily said, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I can see you’ve been very happy the last few weeks, and that’s good enough for me. Now, should we get started talking about the book and eating this delicious food?”

Julia visibly relaxed and reached for a bottle of wine. “Sounds good!”

Lola relaxed, too, although she couldn’t help wondering what all the tension between Julia and Emily was about. She supposed Andy was a bit quiet, but he didn’t strike her as overly aloof. Why was Emily so against him, and why was Julia so sensitive about it?

Lola wondered if Emily would feel similarly about Dane, but then pushed the thought away. For one thing, she didn’t know Emily that well, so she didn’t have a reason to worry too much about what Emily would think of any man Lola might be interested in. And for another thing, Lola was not going to date Dane, so speculating about it was pointless.

Thankfully, the discussion of the book quickly became very animated, giving Lola’s brain a reprieve from the constant thoughts of Dane that she couldn’t quite seem to shake. Lola relaxed and found herself laughing more than she had in weeks. Emily and Julia were both great fun, and Lola found herself quite impressed by Emily’s expansive knowledge of books.

The evening flew by, and before Lola knew it, Julia was groaning and starting to clean up the leftover food.

“I hate to run out,” Julia said. “But it’s getting late, and I have to be up before dawn to make donuts.”

“You need to hire an assistant,” Emily declared. “Your store can surely support a part-time employee. Look at all the donuts you sell!”

“I know,” Julia said with a sigh. “It’s just finding the time to conduct interviews and train someone sounds so daunting.” 

“I know,” Emily said sympathetically. “Getting a business off the ground is so much work at first. But you’ll get there. In the meantime, why don’t you head home and let me clean all this up? I don’t have to be up as early as you.”

Julia gratefully agreed and left after giving out a few goodbye hugs. Lola tried to stay and help Emily clean up, but Emily wouldn’t hear of it.

“You’re on vacation,” Emily said. “Now shoo.”

Emily remained firm in her resolve not to accept Lola’s help, even after a few more attempts by Lola to insist on staying. And so, Lola drove back to the hotel, more grateful than she cared to admit that she was about to be in bed. It had been a long day. A fun day, but an exhausting one.

When she got back to the hotel, though, she got a second wind of energy. The night had been so wonderful that she wasn’t quite ready for it to end. She wished Julia wasn’t working such early mornings. It would have been fun to go out for a late-night drink with her. Lola knew that if she called her best friend right then and begged her, Julia would come out, early morning or not. But Lola wouldn’t do that to Julia, no matter how badly she wanted company at the moment.

Instead, Lola decided to head to the hotel bar for one last drink. If nothing else, at least she’d have the bartender for company. She’d seen him chatting and laughing with other guests, and he seemed friendly enough. 

It crossed Lola’s mind as she sat down at one of the hotel’s posh leather barstools that she was increasing her odds of running into Dane by sitting at the bar out in the open. But she pushed the thought away. She wasn’t going to stop living her life on the off chance that she might run into Dane. She didn’t want to see him, but she wasn’t going to run and hide just because he might be around.

Okay, she actually did want to see him. She wanted to feast her eyes on his perfect muscles, and on the rugged handsomeness of his face. But she knew it was a bad idea, and so she told herself she needed to do everything she could not to cross paths with him.

So why was she sitting at the bar, in plain view?

She told herself that she wasn’t going to overthink things or ruin her vacation because of a man. She wanted a drink, so she was going to get a drink. That’s all there was to it.

The bartender turned out to be just as friendly as Lola had thought. He quickly got her the rum and coke she ordered, and managed to hold a pretty good conversation with her despite the fact that the bar was relatively busy for a weekday night. Lola felt herself relaxing with the good conversation and good rum. She’d been having a good week, a good vacation. There was no need to continue to be so tense. She could worry about her problems back home once vacation was over. 

She’d just started on her second drink when a large man sat down on the barstool next to her. Lola’s whole body felt electric, and she somehow knew before even turning to look that it was him.

Dane. 

When she did look, confirming her suspicions that Dane himself had just sat down next to her, her whole body suddenly felt like it had gone up in flames. She wondered why she had ever thought it was a good idea to put herself in this position, where she knew she might end up seeing him.

He made her feel things no man had ever made her feel before, and all just with a look. Those intense eyes of his held so much power over her. 

Slightly panicked, she wanted to get up and run away, to go hide in her room where she could get away from his searching gaze.

She might have, except at that moment he put a hand on her thigh.

“Stay,” he said in that impossibly deep voice of his. “I don’t bite, I promise. Just please, stay.”

“I…” Lola said, unsure of how to respond. She couldn’t think of any coherent thing to say with his hand on her thigh, making her whole body feel like it was lit up with electricity.

“Look,” Dane said, turning to her with his hand still very firmly on her thigh. “I know the last time we met things were a little awkward between us.”

Lola took a sip from her drink to avoid having to answer. “A little awkward” was putting it mildly. She’d basically told him off. The question was whether she regretted doing that or not. Should she tell him off again right now, or should she be grateful that he was apparently giving her another chance?

Dane bent his head lower so his face was only inches from hers, and lowered his voice as he continued speaking. “Look, I don’t want to cause trouble if you really don’t want to see me again. But I don’t think you can deny that there’s some sort of chemistry between us. And I’d like to explore that chemistry, if you’re open to it.”

He started moving his thumb in little circles on her thigh, and Lola felt herself growing hot and wet between her legs. Whatever else she might think of him, she couldn’t deny that her body responded to him in a way it never had to any other man before. She swallowed hard, trying to figure out what to say.

Dane never took his intense eyes off of hers as he waited for her answer, all the while continuing to run his fingers in small circles on her thigh. Every circle sent a fresh wave of electricity across her body. 

A big part of her wanted to just give in to that electricity, to the feeling of hot desire that flooded her whenever she came anywhere near Dane. She was on vacation, after all. Weren’t vacations meant for the sort of reckless fun one could have with a man one had just met?

But another part of Lola wasn’t much in the mood to be reckless. She felt so fragile after everything she’d been through in the last few weeks.

She looked up at Dane, at his sincere eyes, and wondered if that sincerity was real, or whether he was just another man only interested in using her for his own pleasure. “I…I’ve been hurt very recently. I’m just not sure I’m ready for anything with any man.”

Lola saw a flash of anger in Dane’s eyes. “Whoever hurt you is a fool,” he growled. “I promise I would never do anything with your heart except guard it with my life.”

Lola’s eyes widened a bit at the ferocity of his tone. He had instantly become protective, which she had to admit was kind of hot. He didn’t know much about her, other than the fact that she was Julia’s best friend. Maybe that was enough, though. Maybe he was the kind of man who thought the best friend of his best friend’s girlfriend was worth protecting.

Just then, the bartender walked over and loudly cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Is this gentleman bothering you?”

Lola looked at the bartender, then back at Dane, whose eyes never left her face. His expression remained fierce and protective, and something in it told her she could trust him. She’d been so drawn to him, and she thought maybe it was time for her to start trusting her own gut instincts instead of automatically pushing away all men.

“No,” she told the bartender, giving him a small smile. “He’s not bothering me at all.” 

“Good,” the bartender said. “Let me know if he causes any trouble.”

“I would never trouble such a beautiful lady,” Dane said, finally turning toward the bartender. “In fact, I’d like to buy her a drink. And one for myself as well.”

The bartender glanced at Lola to make sure that was okay with her, and she gave him a small nod. 

She felt like she was standing on the edge of a wonderful possibility, and she decided that she was going to take a leap of faith and see where that possibility led.

* * * 

Where it led was to one of the best nights of Lola’s life. She forgot all about her exhaustion and found herself laughing and enjoying a meandering conversation with Dane. He told her all sorts of stories from his life back in his hometown, many of them hilarious and others just plain fascinating. He was turning out to be not only the handsomest man Lola had ever met, but the most interesting as well. She could hardly believe it when the bartender called for last call.

Dane insisted on picking up their entire tab, no matter how much Lola protested. She had to admit that it felt nice to have a man insisting on taking care of her. He continued to take care of her after the tab was paid as well, turning toward her and offering to walk her to her room.

“You really don’t have to do that,” she insisted.

“But I do,” Dane said. “I’m a gentleman. I’m not going to send you walking across the hotel alone at this ungodly hour.”

Never mind the fact that Lola was sure that the hotel was perfectly safe, and that she had walked alone through it late at night several times already. She decided to let herself be taken care of, and let Dane guide her toward the elevators with his hand on the small of her back.

As soon as the elevator door closed behind them, Dane turned toward her with fire in his eyes. She met his gaze, knowing exactly what he wanted, because she wanted the same thing. She parted her lips slightly, inviting him to kiss them.

He didn’t need a second invitation. He pushed her up against the wall and put his mouth on hers, causing an instant rush of heat to spread across Lola’s body.

His kiss was so hot that she felt like she’d never been truly kissed before that moment. Her body trembled as his tongue slipped into her mouth and danced with her tongue, and his hands possessively gripped her hips. In that moment, Lola wished that elevator ride would last forever. She never wanted the kiss to end.

Luckily for her, Dane had no intention of ending the kiss. Even after the elevator door opened, he kept his mouth on hers, pushing her out of the elevator car and into the hallway, a low growl in his throat as he pushed her against the wall of the long hallway.

Lola gasped for air, breathless in the best way possible. She forgot all about her reasons for not wanting to let a man into her life again. Her ex, and all the heartache he’d caused her, felt very far away in that moment. With Dane’s arms around her, she felt safe.

And she wanted more.

“My room,” she panted. “Number 512.”

He growled, and led her down the hallway without breaking their kiss. They reached Lola’s door, where she fumbled in her purse for her key as Dane continued kissing her. When she finally managed to find the key and get the door open, Dane growled again and pushed her into the room and onto the big king-sized bed.

They rolled on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, kissing each other deeply and letting their hands run hungrily over each other’s bodies, as though they had never felt the touch of another human before this moment.

But when Lola reached down to start unbuttoning Dane’s jeans, he reached down to stop her. 

“Wait,” he said, his pupils dilated but his voice steady. “Are you sure you want this? I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret. We don’t have to do anything more than kiss.” 

Lola reached down and palmed his giant erection, which was clearly visible through the fabric of his jeans. “You clearly want to do more.”

He laughed softly, and kissed her forehead. “Of course I want to. I’ve wanted it since the first moment I saw you, to be honest. But what I want even more is for you to be comfortable, and happy. If you want more time before such a big step, I won’t say one word of complaint.”

Lola’s heart swelled at how he wanted to take care of her, but she shook her head. “I don’t need time. I just need you, inside me.”

“Oh, thank god,” he growled, and went back to kissing her with somehow even more intensity than before. Their tangle of arms and legs became even more tangled as they struggled to remove each other’s clothes and their own. Ordinarily, Lola was the kind of girl who liked long, drawn-out foreplay.

But not tonight. 

Tonight, she was hungry, and desperate. She wanted Dane and she wanted him without any more delay.

He clearly wanted the same, and within minutes, they were both completely naked next to each other on the bed. Lola’s eyes widened when she caught her first full glimpse of Dane’s erection. He was even bigger than he’d looked through the fabric of his jeans.

He, on the other hand, widened his eyes and paused to let his gaze slide up and down her body. “Wow. Just wow,” he breathed. “You’re incredible.”

Lola smiled, trembling with pleasure at his touch and his words. 

“Are you sure you want this?” he asked, giving her one last chance to change her mind. She bit her lip and nodded, barely restraining herself from yelling at him to stop stalling and to get inside her already.

He grinned, his expression going feral.

“Well, let’s give my lady what she wants, then.”

Lola felt a little thrill when he called her his lady. She knew not to expect that he meant too much by it, but still, the possessiveness of the phrase thrilled her. She wanted to be his. Even though she knew it was probably ridiculous, since she hadn’t known him that long, she wanted him to claim her as his own.

Gently, he pushed her onto her back and hovered over her. “Ready?”

Lola nodded, her eyes locked on his.

He gave her a small nod back, and then slid into her. She gasped as he filled her, his huge erection pushing against every last bit of her warm, wet insides. He filled her completely, going deeper into her than she would have thought humanly possible. 

“Alright?” he whispered.

She bit her lower lip and nodded, her body already beginning to throb with pleasure. When he began to move in her, sliding back and forth, she thought that this must be what heaven feels like. The ecstasy of the moment overwhelmed her, until she could no longer bear to keep her eyes open. She closed them, and let the heat and tingling pleasure fill her.

Dane moved back and forth in a steady rhythm, hitting every sensitive nerve ending and sending Lola into a state of absolute delight. She grew wetter and hotter with every thrust, until the heat and pressure in her body reached a point where she could no longer hold it back. She arched her back, pushing her hips up to meet Dane’s, and let her release come. She cried out as the waves of throbbing pleasure rolled across her body, giving her a high she wished she could stay on for the rest of her life.

Once Lola found her release, Dane followed closely behind. He thrust harder and faster until finally he stiffened and gave one last giant thrust, letting himself come as Lola’s inner walls continued to clench around his throbbing dick. She clung to him as they rode the waves of pleasure together.

They lay, connected, for several long minutes after that, just basking in the afterglow. Lola did indeed feel safe and protected with Dane’s arms around her. She tried not to think about the fact that they lived completely different lives, in completely different cities. She didn’t want this thing between them, whatever it was, to ever end.

She did the only thing she felt she could do in that moment, and decided not to focus on all the complications of the world beyond that hotel room. She just enjoyed that moment, right then, with Dane lying intertwined with her. In that place of perfect safety, she eventually drifted off into a blissful, peaceful sleep.

* * *

Dane ignored the way his arm was rapidly losing feeling. Lola was lying on it at an awkward angle, but she had fallen asleep, and he would not have disturbed her for anything less than a life-or-death emergency.

She looked so peaceful, sleeping beside him. He could get used to that view.

He wanted that view for the rest of his life.

So did his inner bear.

He knew for sure now why his inner bear had gone constantly crazy around Lola: as he’d suspected deep down, she was his lifemate.

He’d felt the intense heat of the lifemate bond forming as they made love. He wanted to kick himself for being so stupid. He should have talked to her first. He should have explained that he was a bear shifter and all that entailed before mating with her. Before forming an unbreakable bond. 

But he’d been too turned on. He’d wanted her too badly. He hadn’t been able to wait. The only thing that could have stopped him from making love to Lola that night would have been if she’d told him no.

But she hadn’t. In fact, she’d seemed to want it just as badly as he did. That had to mean something, right? Hopefully it meant that she would be open to a life with him, even once she found out about the beast he hid within. 

Dane closed his eyes and listened to the sweet, steady sound of Lola’s breathing.

Tomorrow, he was going to have to lay bare to her the truth of who and what he was. The whole truth.

He could only hope that it would drive her closer to him instead of farther away.

*** Thank you for reading! Dane and Lola's story continues! CLICK HERE for Cozy Bear Autumn Part Three! ***