And now he’s huddled by the fireplace in a blanket, watching me move around his cabin with those dark eyes, and I don’t know what to do with everything I’m feeling.
“Imani.”
His voice is low, rough from the shift. I stop halfway to the kitchen, my back to him.
“You don’t have to keep doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Taking care of me. Avoiding looking at me.”
I turn around. He hasn’t moved, the blanket draped loosely over his shoulders, leaving him bare underneath.Orange light plays across his skin, highlighting the scars, the muscles, the smooth planes of his stomach.
He’s not wearing anything under that blanket. I know because I watched him shift back. Watched his body reform from bear to man, naked and gasping in the snow.
I’ve been trying not to think about it. Failing miserably.
“I’m not avoiding you,” I lie.
“You haven’t looked at me in ten minutes.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Imani.”
The way he says my name makes my stomach flip. I force myself to meet his eyes.
They’re still dark, but there’s that shimmer underneath. His bear, close to the surface. Watching me.
“Come here,” he says.
It’s not a question. Not a demand either. Something in between. A request wrapped in certainty, like he already knows I’ll say yes.
I should say no. Should keep my distance, give us both time to think about what we’re doing. This is moving too fast. I’ve known this man for less than a week. But my feet are already carrying me toward him.
I stop a few feet away, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body. He looks up at me, and the hunger in his eyes makes my breath catch.
“Closer,” he murmurs.
I take another step. Then another. Until I’m standing right in front of him, close enough to touch.
He reaches out and catches my hand, his touch warm and rough. He tugs gently, pulling me down until I’m kneeling between his spread thighs.
“I’ve been trying to control myself,” he says quietly. “Trying to give you time. Give you space to decide what you want.”
“I know.”
“But I’m running out of patience, Imani.” His free hand comes up to cup my face, his thumb tracing my cheekbone. “And after today, after you met my bear, after you accepted him...” He swallows hard. “I need you to tell me to stop. Right now. Because if you don’t, I’m not going to be able to.”
My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. “What happens if you don’t stop?”
“Then you’re mine.” His eyes bore into me. “Not just for tonight. Not just until the storm clears. Forever. I’ll claim you in a way that can’t be undone. And I’ll never let you go.”
Forever. The word should scare me. It scared me when he said it this morning.
But right now, looking into his eyes, feeling his hands on my skin, all I feel is want.
“What if I don’t want you to stop?”
