“Hey, now!”he shouted, returning the splash with a playful grin.
We swam and played around, enjoying the freedom of the water and the laughter that filled the air.The tension of the day melted away, and I felt a sense of ease with him that I hadn’t expected.It wasn’t just that it was unexpected.I’d never felt this way around anyone.
“I know I’ve probably said it a million times, but honestly, thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” I said as we climbed out of the pool.“I didn’t think I’d feel this good about moving.I was pretty worried that everything was going so fast.Plus, the situation with James didn’t help.At all.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied.“It’s a big change, and I’m happy to help you through it, and as far as James goes—I don’t think you’ll have to deal with him anymore.”
I tried to keep my eyes focused on anything but the droplets of water running down Mack’s sculpted chest to his even harder abs.Lord knows, had I looked his way, I probably would have fainted.Like old-timey swooned and shit.
“Here.”
Mack pulled a towel from a cabinet on the deck and wrapped it around my shoulders.I swear, when his hand accidentally brushed against my skin, he sent a shiver through my body and straight to my core.
“Oh.That’s nice,” I moaned as the warmth from the towel chased away my goosebumps.I wanted to linger next to Mack’s heat, but I pulled away.The closeness was beginning to make me feel like a glutton for punishment.I knew I couldn’t have him.He was my new boss.For whatever reason, that just made me want him even more.
“Right.I never once in my life thought that I needed a towel heater.Now, I can’t live without the thing.”
“I can see why.”I relished the warmth it provided, especially on a cool evening with dripping-wet skin.
“Why don’t you go get showered and changed for the night.I’ll clean up out here,” Mack suggested.
“Are you sure?I can stay and help.”
“I’m positive.It will take me no time at all.”
9
Iwatched as Audrey headed back into the house.I couldn’t have looked away even if I had wanted to.The way her ass swayed made my cock rock-fucking-hard.After the whirlwind trip to meet Audrey and the drive back, trapped in the truck with her scent all around me, my bear was pressing to stretch his legs.He was wound just as tight as I was after our sexy little dip in the pool.
After a full day with Audrey, I felt like I was going to snap at any given moment, and my bear felt the same.If I didn’t shift soon, he was going to force the issue.That wouldn’t be a pretty event.
Though she’d only been there for a few hours, it seemed like Audrey was everywhere.Her scent lingering in the halls, her laugh echoing in the kitchen, that bright spark in her blue eyes.
My bear was restless, pacing inside me, itching for a much-needed release.I needed to run, to let the animal side of me burn off some of this energy before I said or did something I couldn’t take back.
“Let’s go, Mack.I need out.We need to run,”my bear grumbled, hot and impatient.
I put the leftover food in the fridge and slipped out the back door, letting the familiar hush of the night settle over my skin.The forest beyond my cabin was calling.With a practiced breath, I let the shift come.Muscles bunched, bones reformed, and fur rippled over my skin until I was on all fours, massive and wild.My senses flared.I could smell every pine needle, every trace of deer and fox, but most of all, Audrey.Sweet, electric, tempting.I could smell her even from the edge of the woods, her scent curling through my mind and stirring something wild and raw deep inside me.
I crashed through the trees, running hard and fast, digging my claws into the earth, losing myself to the night.Branches whipped past me.I leapt over fallen logs and barreled through the underbrush, letting the moonlight cool the fire in my veins.The wind in my fur, the strength in my muscles.This was what freedom felt like.
Every stride, every surge of muscle, felt like a raw release.I let out a deep-chested growl, the sound echoing through the trees.The powerful animal inside me was alive and hungry and wild.My bear roared with joy as I raced through the darkness, paws thudding against the ground.
“She’s our mate, Mack,”my bear rumbled, his voice thick with longing.“We need to claim her.Need her close.No more waiting.”
“She’s human.We need to take this slowly, or we will lose her.She doesn’t understand our world—our rules.”
I pushed myself faster, as if running for miles on fucking end could chase away the aching need that I had for her.The truth was, I’d never felt anything like this.The way Audrey looked at me made every inch of my body ache—from my heart to my cock and everything in between.The way she trusted me, her vulnerability, her laughter.It all called to something ancient and protective in me.I wanted to wrap her up, keep her safe, show her everything I was, both man and beast.
But it wasn’t just desire.It was deeper.It was a primal urge that I couldn’t ignore.She was my mate, chosen by the Fates, and every cell in my body not just wanted but needed her to know it.I could almost picture her in the woods with me, fearless and fierce, running by my side.
I slowed near the creek, lowering my head to drink from the fresh, icy water.The moonlight glimmered on the surface, and I saw my reflection—a massive bear with golden eyes burning with something both tender and wild.
“We’ll keep her safe.Protect her.But she needs to know who we are,”my bear insisted.
“Not yet,”I answered.“She’s only just arrived.I can’t drop that on her—not until she’s ready.”
“She’ll understand.She’s meant for us,”he countered.
