But here she was. Like Sorcha, she had found her man, her mate.
Her throat constricted for a moment as another thought surfaced—one she’d been nurturing quietly since Sorcha had shared her news. After Doreen told her friend she was making arrangements to stay in Bear Creek permanently and transfer her office there, Sorcha had finally confided that she was expecting.
There had been tears. Tears of joy and shared dreams.
“Where did you go?” James murmured, cupping his hand around the nape of her neck and drawing her close, his thumb brushing the sensitive skin behind her ear.
She met his gaze, suddenly shy. “I was thinking about how much I’d like to have a child with you.”
His eyes darkened, jaw clenching with emotion as he searched her face. “There’s nothing I would like more,” he said, his voice rough and sincere.
Doreen’s eyes misted with tears. There was no man she would rather have as a father for her child. Over the last few days, he’d proved himself again and again as he patiently practiced with Jake and Bash for the festival dog show. The way he kneeled to Jake’s level, the gentle corrections, the enthusiastic praise when they got it right.
And today was the day when all that hard work would pay off. Not that Doreen hadn’t worked hard too. Jake had gotten his wish, and Doreen, with the help of Sorcha and Sarah, and Maisie and Teddy, and Sarah’s daughter Emmy, had made the most amazing bear costume for Bash. It had been a real group effort.
Or family effort. Because the more time she spent with them, the more she saw them as more like family than mere friends.
But before the dog show, before Bash and Jake woke up, she wanted this—wanted him. Her mate. Her love. Her deputy.
Doreen leaned forward and kissed him, pouring all her love and longing into the kiss. Wanting him to know how much he meant to her. How much she cherished him.
With a groan, James slipped his hands beneath the sheets, caressing her breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples until they peaked beneath his attention. She arched into his touch, wanting more. Needing more.
“James,” she breathed, as heat grew in her core, intense and needy.
And he knew instinctively what she needed.
He slid down under the covers, replacing his fingers with his mouth, sucking and licking until each taut bud, until she was writhing with pleasure. Her hands clutched at the sheets as he grazed his teeth against the sensitive buds.
“Don’t hold back,” he whispered against her sensitive skin. “I want to hear you.”
She’d learned that her bear shifter mate liked nothing more than to please her, to coax those little sounds from her throat that told him exactly how good he made her feel.
And damn, he made her feel good!
He kissed the tip of each nipple and moved lower, his breath hot against her skin. He trailed kisses across her belly, inching lower, as she held her breath in anticipation.
With a gentle pressure, he eased her thighs apart and flicked her sensitive bundle of nerves with his tongue. She sucked in a harsh breath as the room spun.
But he wasn’t done pleasing her. While he licked and sucked her mound, he slipped two fingers inside her, hooking them perfectly as he grazed her inner walls. The dual sensation made her gasp, her back arching off the mattress as he took his time,sucking and licking, bringing her to a shuddering orgasm that left her breathless and boneless against the sheets.
“James,” she managed, her voice breaking on his name as waves of pleasure crashed through her.
He emerged from beneath the covers, his expression one of pure satisfaction as he took in her flushed face and dazed eyes.
When she could move again, she reached for him, stroking his hardness. He groaned against her neck, then lifted her knee, draping it over his thigh as she guided him to her entrance. He inched in slowly, stretching her deliciously, his eyes never leaving hers. Then he pulled out and thrust harder, filling her completely.
“James,” she gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders as he set a rhythm that had her climbing toward that peak again.
Every thrust drove her higher, the delicious friction sending sparks of pleasure racing along her nerves. She felt his control slipping, his movements becoming more urgent.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lips, the words punctuated by the steady roll of his hips. “My mate. My love.”
She wrapped her legs around him, drawing him deeper, wanting everything he had to give. In this moment, with their bodies joined and hearts beating in sync, she could almost believe that new life might already be taking hold within her—their child, created in love, the next chapter of a story she’d once thought finished.
The thought sent her spiraling over the edge again, her inner walls clenching around him as pleasure crashed through her in waves. James followed with a growl that vibrated through her chest, his release pulsing deep inside her as he buried his face against her neck.
For long moments afterward, they lay tangled together, hearts gradually slowing to a shared rhythm. James pressed soft kisses to her temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth, as if he couldn’t bear to stop touching her even now.
