Page 47 of Awakened By the Guardian

Turned out it could only hold half a grizzly bear. He settled his upper body on the mattress, his large front paws stretched out before him, then dropped his head down and stared right at her.

“You’re not going to do that all night, are you?”

He lurched forward and licked her face, a big wet swipe across her mouth.

“Ew! You have got to stop doing that!”

A rumble emerged from Gary that she was sure was a chuckle.

Margaret waited a moment, taking strength from the liquid depths of his eyes as she thought about the last two days.

“I love you, Gary. Human or bear, legs or no legs, you’re everything to me.” She paused and she waggled her eyebrows. “And since I’m not broken down below, you need to turn back to human soon so that we can ‘explore’ some more, okay?”

He lifted his head, and his front paws stretched out across her mattress. Not just stretched, but stretched. Was he trying to shift back? She waited, but it appeared he couldn’t manage it yet.

“Don’t force it, Gary,” she whispered. “For once in your life, don’t push. Be exactly what you are.” She smiled and scratched behind his ear. “I like Grizzly Gary a lot, too.”

He licked her again, a kiss just as sloppy as the previous. She laughed and punched him in the shoulder then wiped her face on his fur. She didn’t bother turning out the light. It was too comfortable here nestled against him. He was huge and soft and warm, and his breathing had a deep rumble that soothed her to sleep.

CHAPTER 13

She woke slowly, a deep contentment warming her. Well, that and a large, gently snoring male body nearby.

Though she drifted for a bit, eventually her brain kicked in and memories of the previous night surfaced. The attack. Gary’s shift. And that, after it all, she’d talked with grizzly bear Gary long into the night. It had been healing on a very deep level, and now—she cracked her eyes—now she was sleeping next to a very naked, very sexy man.

Sometime in the night, Gary had reverted to human form. But had he regained use of his legs? There was a very good way to find out. But it would take some real aggression on her part, and a willingness to go all the way.

She felt her lips curve as her body started heating up. For someone who’d claimed to not like sex, she was wet and needy awful fast. Of course, that might have something to do with the stunningly beautiful male body beside her. Or, perhaps it was because he was her best friend. For the first time, the whole experience looked to be fun. No pressure or anxiety, just fun.

First things first. She slipped carefully out of bed and got herself cleaned up: teeth brushed, hair unknotted, clothes discarded. Plus she found a string of fruit-flavored condoms buried in her toiletry bag, still within their expiration dates. It had been a gag gift from a fellow flight attendant on her last birthday, a friend who didn’t know her deep dark secret. The secret that had turned out to be all wrong.

She set the condoms on the bedside table, though her hands shook slightly. This was a big step. Was it what she wanted?

Yes, yes, yes!

There was no fear in Margaret’s heart, just love. And a whole lot of arousal. She was wet and needy just from looking at Gary in all his naked glory. Go figure.

Resolved, she approached the bed from the side. She started slowly, gently stroking her hands along the backs of his things and buttocks. Her heart pounded, wondering what he would feel. He was lying face down on his belly, his legs spread, his feet dangling off the edge of the mattress. He didn’t move.

She took her time, patient, her massage stronger, her caresses more intimate. If he couldn’t feel this, she reasoned, she wasn’t bothering him. If he could, he needed all the stimulation she could give.

Nothing happened, not even a shift in his breathing. But when she ran her nail down the sole of his foot, he twitched. Not just his foot, but his whole leg.

Yes!

She did the same on his other side and got the same result, which was wonderful. He had movement and sensation. Now was the time for her to do everything she could to cement this self image, to completely white out his thinking mind with a memory more powerful than his paralysis. Which she could do, but he had to roll over.

Silent as she could be, afraid to wake him, she hauled his nearest leg out to the side so that it bent at the knee. Then she reached between his thighs and began to fondle him.

If this didn’t work…

It did, and it didn’t even take long. She heard his breath hitch and saw his bottom tighten, and soon he began to echo with his hips how she squeezed his sac in a gentle rhythm. And he started to wake for real.

“Margaret?” he murmured, her name muffled by the sheets.

“Roll over,” she said as she tugged on his hip.

“Mmmph.”