“I’m not a violent person either, but when I saw him put his hands on you and I heard you yelp, I reacted.”
When Nash pulled his shirt over his head, Aria’s mouth fell open. Nash chuckled as he undid the buckle on the belt of his jeans.
“If I don’t take my clothes off, they’ll be shredded when I shift into my bear form.”
“Oh, right. Of course.”
“Did you think I was getting fresh?” Nash asked as Aria pretended to be interested in something on the television.
She laughed. “The thought did occur to me.” And it hadn’t been an entirely unpleasant thought.
“I’m going to get down on my knees then start the shift. It makes it easier. It will only take a few moments, okay?”
Aria nodded, anticipation twisting in her belly. “Okay.”
She counted to five then turned, just in time to see the air shimmer around a very large brown bear.
“Oh my,” she breathed, staring across at the magnificent creature with wide, unblinking eyes. “Wow. Look at you.”
When the bear made a snuffling sound, Aria moved a step closer. She wasn’t sure why she was so wary, she knew that it was just Nash and that although the creature would be guided by its animal instincts, Nash was still in there and hopefully in control, and she’d be safe, but it felt strange being so close to a gigantic predator like this. And Nash hadn’t been kidding when he said that he was larger than the average bear. He was absolutely huge.
The bear made a chuffing sound then got up on his hind legs and Aria’s jaw just about hit the ground. The animal towered over her. Clearly, the creature had gotten impatient with waiting for her to approach and came to her instead. Aria’s first instinct was to take a few giant steps back away from the creature, but she stood her ground.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered.
Was she mistaken or was the bear smiling at her? She had to have been imagining it. Tentatively, she reached out to touch the bear’s fur and was surprised at how soft it felt beneath her fingertips. She had expected it feel coarse and wiry, but it wasn’t. The bear made a snuffling noise and Aria smiled.
“Oh, you like that, huh?”
The bear got down on all fours again and from this position, Aria was able to run her hand over the fur on the bear’s head. It—he—leaned into her touch again and again.
She spent at least fifteen minutes stroking the bear’s silky fur then the air around the magnificent beast began to shimmer and in a few moments, no fur remained and Nash sat in front of her, completely naked. Aria knew she should have looked away to give Nash his privacy, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his wide muscular chest, washboard abs, and thick, firm thighs.
“I’m not sure which form is more impressive,” she mused. “This one, or your bear half.”
Nash chuckled. “You are more than welcome to admire both.”
When she didn’t turn away from him, Nash’s eyes grew dark with desire then he leaned forward and captured her lips, kissing her deeply. Aria sighed into the kiss and all at once, it morphed into something altogether more passionate. She went with it, opening her mouth for his probing tongue and heat flushed through her body.
As the kiss deepened further, Nash pushed her down until she was lying flat on her back with his impressive frame covering hers. It was pure heaven to be surrounded by all that strong, smooth skin. Her legs opened in invitation to better accommodate him. It had been so long since Aria had felt the warmth of a man’s body on top of hers and this moment felt even more special because it was Nash. She felt drawn to him in an inexplicable way and knew it had to be because of the mate bond, and yet, it was so much more.
Nash ran his hands up her sides then over her breasts and she shivered as the heat of his touch permeated her clothes. He braced himself over her as he kissed her neck then flicked his tongue over the bottom of her earlobe and the sensitive skin behind.
“Nash,” she breathed, arching her back and tilting her head for him to kiss his way down her neck. “It feels so good.”
His answering growl sent shivers ghosting down her spine. He rolled his hips and Aria gasped. She moved her hands from his strong, powerful shoulders and down his broad back until she reached the cheeks of his ass, feeling the corded muscle. She squeezed him, pulling him more tightly against her body.
When they next kissed, it was a slow, languorous dance of tongues—an exploration of sorts, and when he moved his mouth to her neck, her nipples tightened and wetness flooded her core. If it felt this good to just have him naked on top of her, kissing her neck, what was it going to feel like when he got inside her?
“You’re wearing far too many clothes,” he said against her neck. “Any objections to me rectifying that?”
Aria smirked. “None at all. But do you really want to do this on my living room floor?”
She cursed herself as soon as the words were out of her mouth because she was desperate to feel Nash’s skin against her own and now, she had to wait to get to the good stuff.
Nash lifted his head to meet her gaze, a wry grin on his lips. “I wouldn’t have been opposed to it, but if you’re offering to take me to your bedroom so you can have your wicked way with me, the answer is hell yes.”
“Then you’re going to have to let me get up.”
