“Are you ok?” she asks, sliding her arms around him to rub at his back. He wraps her up in his arms and strokes her hair.
“I’m fine. I didn’t mean to scare you, though.”
“Scare me?” she pulls away to look up into his face, meeting his eyes. “You didn’t scare me. Are you ok though? That sounded intense.”
“They keep raising their offer. I don’t want the money. I just want the lodge and myfamily.” He doesn’t say that he now includes her as part of his family. It’s too soon, he knows it is. He takes her hand and kisses her knuckles. “Ready for our hike?”
She’s got on her hiking boots, cargo pants, and a warm sweater. Her red hair is pulled up in a loose ponytail, and her face is free of makeup. She looks perfect.
The hike to the lake takes about an hour, and they go slowly. He holds her hand the whole time and points out various things to her.
“That’s where I broke my leg. Climbed almost to the top of that tree when Gunner started shaking it. Fell right out and landed wrong, broke it in three places.”
“Oh my gosh! Were you ok? You could have died.”
He realizes that she assumes he’s human. A human very well may have died falling twenty-five feet out of a tree and landing on the boulder below. But being a bear shifter means he heals quickly. His leg was healed in a few hours, even though it hurt a lot.
“I was ok, nothing serious. My mom though,” he whistles low, “she was plenty mad. We were always roughhousing and getting hurt, but that was one of the worst ones.” He doesn’t mention when Raif almost lost his arm after getting tangled up in barbed wire. A human wouldn’t quite recover from that one.
She smiles up at him, and it’s like the whole world lights up. His heart beats a little faster, and he squeezes her hand softly. He stops herfor a moment to pull her to him to kiss her. It’s soft and sweet, and he loves it.
When they get to the lake, he can tell she likes it.
“This is amazing,” she says. “I should have come here sooner.” She looks out across the whole thing, and he just watches her. She’s beautiful like this. Appreciating his land, hair like fire when the sun hits it. His mate, she’s so lovely.
“Can we go in?” she asks.
“Did you bring a swimsuit?”
“No, did you?”
He shakes his head no and feels his heart rate pick up at the thought of her naked. She sits, pulling off her boots and tucking her socks into them. Then stands, shimmying out of her pants and finally pulling her shirt over her head. It’s the most naked he’s ever seen a woman in person before. She’s standing there watching him in a mauve lace bra and matching panties. His throat goes dry looking at her. The bra is lace, and he can see her pink nipples through it. She has a sly smile on her face, and he realizes he’s standing there totally clothed.
He looks around, making sure there are no other people, before pulling off his flannel. Then his boots and socks, followed by his henley. As he stands there shirtless, he realizes no one’s ever seen him like this. His brothers and family, of course, but no one else has seen him this intimately before. Stomach bared, chest on display. It’s like he’s laid bare for her. He pulls off his pants, leaving himself in his black boxer briefs.
She walks over to him, feet padding softly on the dirt and leaves, stopping in front of him with her hand poised in front of his chest. He realizes she’s asking for permission to touch him. He pulls her handto the middle of his chest, where his heart is. He wonders if she can feel how hard it’s thumping. He feels like it might just explode out of his chest. They kiss, he doesn’t know who initiates it, but before he knows it, they are wrapped around each other.
Chloe’s hands explore his bare chest and arms, humming appreciatively into his mouth. He holds her waist tight, relishing how good she feels in his arms. When her hand travels south to the waistband of his boxers, he stops her. She pulls back with a confused look on her face.
“Let’s go slow. Ok?”
She smiles up at him and kisses him again. This time it’s languid, like they have all the time in the world to stand there and kiss. After a few minutes, they separate, and he holds her hand, leading her towards the water. She squeals at the cold, and he laughs lightly. He runs hot, all shifters do. So the temperature doesn’t affect him much.
Once they’re in the water, he dunks himself, surfacing only his head. He feels like the predator he is, and she’s his prey. He shoots forward, grabbing her waist and pulling her to him. She laughs and squirms, and he gentles her with a kiss.
“Touch me,” she tells him. His hands freeze on her waist.
“I’ve never…” he doesn’t know how to tell her. “I’ve never been with a woman before.”
Chapter Sixteen
Chloe
Chloe’s eyes go wide, and she can feel how uncomfortable he is with this admission.
“Have you only been with men?” she blurts out. He laughs and shakes his head.
“No, I’ve never been with anyone.” The concerned look is back, and she doesn’t know how to get him back to smiling.
