BEAR-LY NEW YEAR Read online

  “You and the vampire.” They both said together with a teasing quality to their voices that grated on Zoe’s nerves.

  “Shut up.” She bit out with the kind of scowl normally reserved for mornings when she had a hangover.

  “So, have you done the deed yet?” Chloe leaned in and whispered, and Zoe pulled back and regarded her like she’d lost her mind.

  “The deed?” Zoe shot back.

  ”You know…” Chloe nudged her in the ribs and she groaned at the pain. “Sippy cup?” She made a very unladylike slurping sound and Zoe’s bottom jaw fell open.

  “Seriously?” She scowled. Chloe was all wide eyed innocence.

  “Yep.” She grinned, reaching for the pink cocktail and taking the straw between her finger and her thumb as she kept her amused eyes on her friend. Then she sucked, and slurped, and sucked some more.

  “You are just…” Zoe scowled.

  “Do you have puncture wounds?” Kristy asked with a small conspiratorial giggle from Chloe.

  “Oh, bite me.” Zoe said, before her brain kicked her backside into gear, but the words were already out and her friends were chuckling hard.

  “Said the witch to the vampire.” Chloe chuckled.

  “You know what?” Zoe said, leaning in towards them. “It makes for the best orgasms I have ever, ever, had.”

  Both women stared at her, unblinking, waiting for more…

  “Go on, share… more details.” Chloe demanded.

  “You first.” Zoe shot back.

  “I’ll go…” Kristy said, holding up her hand like she was in Chloe’s class.

  “Ladies…” Nick’s deep tone rang out across the room and Kristy grimaced…

  “Watch out, big ears is about.” Zoe chuckled.

  “Says the vampire’s mate.” Kristy snorted back.

  “It could be worse.” Chloe whispered, lifting her finger and pointing down to the end of the bar where Dwight sat eyeing Lola’s backside as she bent over behind the bar…

  All three grimaced at the thought. Nick followed their eyes and grunted at the man eyeing up Lola.

  “You alright, Lola?” He called and the woman straightened, caught Dwight staring at her, and nodded.

  “He’s harmless.” Lola chuckled and Dwight frowned, leaning in towards her.

  “I wouldn’t say harmless, exactly.” He offered and jumped in place as Zav appeared on the stool next to him.

  “Do tell?” The vampire grinned, fangs slightly elongated, and Dwight’s eyes flared in surprise as he leaned back on his stool a little.

  “Harmless sounds good.” Dwight nodded enthusiastically. “I can do harmless…” Zav raised his eyebrows and Dwight frowned for a long moment. “I am harmless. Harmless is my middle name.”

  “There you go. Wasn’t hard, now was it?” Zav offered, and then as Dwight turned back towards him; he found the stool empty. He turned his head slightly and shot a look down at the mates, and there was the vampire… he let out a breath.

  “Don’t let Zav pull your chain.” Lola chuckled. “He’s never going to kill you.”

  “Somebody tell him that?” Dwight shot back.

  “Poor baby,” Lola teased. “Do you need a she-bear to protect you from the big, bad vampire?”

  Dwight grinned. His eyes sparkled with amusement.

  “Hey, I’m not hung up on all this macho, guys on top stuff.”

  “Good to know.” Lola chuckled.

  “Maybe we could get some dinner?” Dwight had the look of a kicked puppy and she found it hard to resist, although she was trying.

  “We’ll see.”

  “I can live with that.” Dwight raised his beer and saluted her. “Let me buy you a drink.”

  “That I never say no to.” Lola flashed him a wicked smile.

  Zoe frowned at Zav as he sat down beside her.

  “If the wind changes, you’ll stay like that.” He offered with a devilish grin and she snorted.

  “That would serve you right.” Zoe offered back.

  “Dinner tonight, me, you, our cabin, log fire…” Zav wiggled his eyebrows and she felt that right in her womb.

  “Who’s on the menu?” Chloe chuckled and Zoe kicked her under the table. She shot up in her seat and scowled back.

  “Ooo, don’t tease.” Zav said and Chloe tossed him a scowl all of his own.

  “You haven’t…?” Chloe asked and Zoe kicked her again.

  The sound of a roar went up from outside and rattled the windows of the bar, and Zav nodded. There was a large grin on his face as he stood up.

  “And there goes Jackson to the mating curse. I mean, mating pull.” He gave his mate one last wicked grin and then he was gone.

  “You two haven’t mated yet?” Kristy leaned in and Zoe rolled her eyes.

  “Not exactly.”

  “But you said about the orgasms…” Chloe whispered back.

  “That was to shut you all up.” Zoe sighed on a shrug.

  “What are you waiting for?” Kristy asked and Zoe’s lips twitched for a long moment before they pulled up at the corners…

  “In truth… I just want to see how long the sucker can hold out for.” She chuckled as a wicked smile gripped her lips.

  “But you’re gonna mate him, right?” Chloe demanded. “That’s not right if you don’t mate him, so you are, right?”

  “Yes. If one of us doesn’t die of old age first.” She snorted.

  “That would be you then.” Kristy frowned. “I’m guessing here…” she chuckled.

  “Well, I just figure if he has to work extra hard to get it – then it’s gonna be good.” Zoe shrugged again.

  “How are you holding out?” Chloe leaned in and asked and Zoe chortled.

  She had to admit. It was getting harder every time that she saw the man… she just wasn’t going to admit that to anybody, especially as Chloe had the habit of opening her mouth and throwing people under the bus. The woman was like a broken faucet, once she started talking, everything just flowed out.

  “I should be good…” Zoe started and Kristy chuckled.

  “For a good few hours yet.” She wiggled her eyebrows at her and Zoe sighed.

  “We’ll see. Nobody is that tempting.” She said, and how she wished that were true. Stupid fate and the stupid mating pull made that statement almost redundant. She knew one thing… if she made it through desert she’d be a stronger woman than she thought she was.

  The End.