Doreen smiled, nestling closer to his warmth. “I think I’ve wanted it too, even if I wouldn’t admit it to myself.”
He traced the curve of her cheek with one finger, his eyes searching hers. “Any regrets?”
She considered the question, the enormity of what had just happened between them, of what she now knew about him—about them. The mate bond, the shifter nature, the forever he’d promised. It should terrify her. It should send her running for the hills.
Instead, she felt only a profound sense of rightness, as if a piece of herself she hadn’t known was missing had finally clicked into place.
“None,” she whispered, and meant it.
His smile was radiant, transforming his face with joy as he pulled her closer. “Good, because I plan on doing that again. Very soon.”
“How soon is soon?” she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice as her hand drifted down his chest.
His eyes darkened with renewed desire. “How does right now sound?”
“Perfect,” she breathed as his mouth found hers once more.
Outside, snow continued to fall, blanketing the world in pristine white. But inside, wrapped in each other’s arms before the crackling fire, they created a warmth all their own.
A beginning, a promise, a future unfolding with each touch, each kiss, each whispered word of love.
Chapter Sixteen – James
James wanted to pinch himself to make sure he was not dreaming, that his mate was really here, curled against his body. James opened his eyes to the soft glow of morning light filtering through his bedroom window. For a moment, he remained perfectly still, afraid that any movement might shatter what surely had to be a dream.
It’s not a dream,his bear said.
No, it was not a dream. Doreen was still there. Warm. Real. Her body tucked trustingly against his, the steady rise and fall of her breath syncing with his own. Her head rested on his chest, one arm draped across him, her fingers curled lightly as if she’d fallen asleep reaching for him.
His bear stirred within him, a deep rumble of satisfaction that vibrated through his bones.Right where she is supposed to be.The primal certainty of it nearly overwhelmed him.
James drew in a slow breath, taking in the scent of her while his fingers itched to stroke her hair, to trace the curve of her shoulder, but he resisted, not wanting to wake her. Instead, he memorized everything…the rhythm of her breathing, the warmth of her skin against his, the way her dark lashes fanned against her cheeks.
Last night replayed in his mind…her acceptance of his true nature, her touch, her trust. After years of loneliness, of watching his friends find their mates while he remained alone, Doreen had walked into his life and changed everything.
She stirred against him, her breathing shifting, quickening. James held his breath as her eyes fluttered open and, for a startled heartbeat, she looked around, disoriented. Then shemet his eyes, and a soft smile unfurled across her face…shy, beautiful, devastating.
“Morning,” she murmured, her voice husky with sleep.
“Morning,” he whispered back, though the word barely captured the swell of emotion rising inside him.
She didn’t pull away. Instead, she tilted her face up toward his, her expression soft and open in a way that knocked the air from his lungs. Without thinking, he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers…a question more than a demand.
Doreen answered by sliding her hand to his cheek, deepening the kiss with the kind of sleepy, unguarded affection that made his heart ache.
When they finally broke apart, he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here,” he admitted quietly.
“Where else would I be?” she asked, her dimple appearing as she smiled.
His bear rumbled with approval.She chose to stay.
“I was worried you might have run off in the night…” he murmured.
“I’m not crazy,” she said. “I might not have had the benefit of your wilderness safety training yet, but even I know I would not last long if I decided to hike back to town in these freezing temperatures.”
He chuckled. “Of course, your car is back in town.”
“It is,” she said, stroking his chest. “You have me trapped here.”
