A quiet laugh rumbles out of my chest before I can stop it.“Yeah.”
I brush my thumb over her cheek, tracing the curve.She leans into my touch instinctively, and my heart squeezes in my chest.
“You okay?”I ask softly.
She nods immediately.“More than okay.”
Her hands slide up my chest slowly, almost like she’s exploring.Feeling.Learning me.
“I was nervous,” she admits quietly.“But that felt… right.”
The word settles deep inside me.Right.Exactly how it feels to me too.
I press another kiss to her forehead, gentler this time.“It always will,” I promise.
She looks up at me again, a little smile tugging at her lips.“You’re very confident about that.”
“I am.”My thumb teases her bottom lip, and her breath catches.“You’re my mate.”
For a second, neither of us moves.
Then Vivian rises on her toes and kisses me again.This time, it’s slower.Curious.Her hands slide around my neck, and I instinctively wrap my arms around her waist again, lifting her slightly so she doesn’t have to stretch so much.She gasps softly, and the sound makes my chest rumble with quiet satisfaction.
I walk us a few steps until her back gently meets the counter behind her.I make sure I don’t trap her there, though, keeping my body loose, giving her room to move if she wants to.
She doesn’t.Instead, her fingers curl into my hair, and she kisses me deeper.
My bear practically melts.
When we finally break apart again, she rests her head against my chest, breathing a little harder.
I wrap my arms around her and hold her there, my chin resting on the top of her head.For the first time since I moved in, my cabin feels like a home.And as I hold my mate in my arms, I realize something that makes my chest tighten.
I’m never letting her go.
SIX
Vivian
The first thingI notice when I wake up is warmth.Strong arms wrap around my waist, holding me securely against a solid chest.For a moment, I stay perfectly still, letting the feeling soak in.
Safe.
That’s the word that keeps coming back to me whenever I’m near Logan.
I smile slightly as I turn my head to look up at him.He’s still asleep, so I use this time to study him.
Dark hair falls across his forehead, and the morning light spilling through the window softens the sharp angles of his face.One large hand rests against my hip like it belongs there.LikeIbelong there.
My heart does a funny little flip in my chest.
If someone had told me a few days ago that I’d wake up wrapped in the arms of a giant bear shifter who claims I’m his fated mate, I would’ve thought they were insane, but somehow, it feels right.
Logan stirs slightly as I move, his eyes opening slowly.The moment he sees me awake, something warm and possessive flickers in those green eyes.
“Morning,” he murmurs, his voice rough with sleep.
“Morning.”
