“Oh wow,” I whispered with a startled laugh, pressing a hand to his massive muzzle. “You’re really doing this.”
When I buried my fingers deeper into the dense layers of fur at his neck, he made a low rumbling sound. Something like a purr but bigger. And wilder.
Then he proved that giant supernatural creatures had a sense of humor by flopping on his side in a bank of untouched snow.
I yelped and jumped back as a wave of powder exploded upward, then I dissolved into helpless laughter. “Are you serious right now?”
His paws lifted, comically slow, like he was playing dead. A thousand-pound polar bear was attempting theatrics to entertain me. I pressed my hands to my knees, giggling so hard I had to catch my breath.
When I straightened, he lifted his head to look at me with unmistakable mischief.
I shook my head. “You’re ridiculous.”
Drawn to him, I stepped closer again, circling his massive body. Snow clung to his fur in uneven clumps, and I brushed them away as gently as I could. He stayed perfectly still while I touched him, trusting me without hesitation. That realization made something warm unfurl inside my chest.
“I can’t believe this is real,” I murmured, smoothing my palm along the powerful curve of his shoulder. “Any of it.”
My life had changed so much in such a short time. Part of me felt like the ground should be tilting beneath my feet. I’d never wanted anyone before, and now I was quickly falling for a guy who could change into a freaking polar bear.
My grandmother’s letter flashed through my memory, and I wondered if she knew about shifters and fated mates. Was that what she’d meant when she wrote about my dad never learning how important love was while growing up in Timber Ridge?
I dragged in a shaky breath, resting my hand in his fur.
He lifted his head and nudged my coat, then he looked toward the side of the house. The message was clear.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I guess we should head inside before I freeze.”
At least for me. I assumed polar bear shifters thrived in this weather.
He rose to his full size, snow cascading off him before the sound of bones reshaping echoed around us. I’d seen it with my own eyes, but I still could barely believe when Bexley returned to his human form.
I barely bit back a whimper of regret when he strode to the porch to pull his clothes on. Turning back to me, he asked, “Ready to go in?”
I nodded, and we stepped back inside to the crackling fire, my heart still racing from everything I’d just witnessed.
The warmth wasn’t enough to stop the trembling in my hands. Some of it was leftover cold, but mostly it was from the remaining adrenaline. Although I’d seen the man behind the bear in his eyes, I’d still been playing in the snow with a massive polar bear. That was bound to get anyone’s blood pumping.
I stripped off my snow-damp layers near the fire, letting the heat prick at my chilled skin. Bexley stood a few feet away, watching me with a tenderness that made my breath catch in my lungs from heat instead of cold.
The certainty in his gaze made my pulse flutter. He looked at me like he knew exactly what I was to him.
It made me feel shy, but I wanted to know more about this incredible man. “Does it hurt when you shift?”
His expression softened, and he stepped closer. “Not really. It’s intense but not painful. Changing to my polar is natural to me. Almost like breathing.”
It was hard to believe that he could more than quadruple in size without pain, but there was no doubting the sincerity in his deep brown eyes. What was even more incredible was that he’d said he was born for me. “How do you know that I’m your fated mate?”
His inhale was quiet but betrayed his surprise at my question. “Your scent called to me all day. I kept getting the smallest trace of it, and my polar pushed me to find you. Only I didn’t know until you walked into the restaurant that that was what had him all riled up.”
I licked my dry lips, which made me think of his kiss…and want more. “But now you’re certain?”
“If there had been any doubt, it would’ve been erased when we touched.” Bexley reached for my hand and interlaced our fingers. “The spark of desire was unmistakable.”
I tilted my chin down with a frown. “I’m sure you’ve felt stuff like that before.”
“Never,” he rasped, tugging me closer. “Something you need to know about shifters is we don’t experience passion of any kind until we meet our fated mate.”
My head jerked back as adrenaline rushed back into my system. “I’m the first woman you’ve ever…”
