“Use whatever you like.”
She went in, shutting the door quietly behind her while he lay in bed and listened. The sounds were normal domestic noises. Running water, the sound of brushing teeth, even the flush of the toilet had him smiling with a soft yearning. How strange to want those noises in his life. How bizarre to want them with someone who—up until a few days ago—hadn’t even known shifters existed much less understood the burden of being an alpha.
He’d always assumed that when he mated, it would be with a woman who comprehended the nuances of being a shifter. Who knew the complicated dance of being his Maxima. He’d assumed that she’d be a fierce grizzly fighter who could go toe-to-toe with any bear in his clan. In truth, he’d thought often of Tonya, but the only thing he liked about her was her grizzly. The woman left him cold. Becca, on the other hand, was all woman, and that seemed to suit his man and his bear just fine.
Go figure.
He was still mulling over the strange twists of fate when she returned and looked at the bed. Thankfully, he’d already rearranged the blankets to hide his erection. He turned to her as casually as possible, making sure his eyes were half lidded, as if he weren’t painfully awake.
“You should try to get more rest,” he said.
“Don’t you want your bed to yourself?” She glanced at the door. “I could take the couch.”
“You’ll sleep here,” he said firmly. Then he started to sit up. “I’ll go.”
“No! No, I won’t throw you out of your own bed.”
He flashed her a slow smile. “Guess we’ll just have to share.”
She looked at him a long moment, her thoughts unreadable. “Is that what you want?”
“More than you can possibly imagine.” Well, that was a bit more honest than he’d intended, but it worked. Her lips curved into a beautiful smile and she climbed back in the bed.
He held out his arm to her, and she set her hand on his chest. Tiny palm, slender fingers. It burned straight through his shirt like a brand.
“You sure I’m not too heavy?”
“You do know I’m a grizzly bear, right? Three of you wouldn’t be too heavy.”
She chuckled, a low sound that had his dick leaping toward her. “Good to know.”
He wanted to offer her food. He wanted to provide for her in the most basic way, but he didn’t want to disrupt the way she settled back into bed. She crawled up into the open space between his chest and his arm. She sank slowly into the mattress, tucking her hand beneath his chin as she snuggled her hips against his. She accidentally bumped his dick, and his breath caught on a gasp. He held himself still by an act of will, but, damn, his lust ratcheted up another hundred percent.
Her scent perfumed the air. It saturated his clothing and made his head dizzy with want. But he kept himself frozen. He didn’t want to frighten her.
Meanwhile, her hand stretched open, flattening against his chest. God, could she hear how his heart thundered for her? Did she know how much he wanted to?—
“Carl?”
“Umm?”
“It’s a weird situation, isn’t it? Between us, I mean.”
Understatement, much? “It’s only weird if you want it to be. I just want to be here with you. No strings attached.”
She nodded, a shift of her face against his ribs. Her hand drifted over his left nipple, and one of her fingers moved, sending lightning straight down to his groin. She was killing him, but he’d be damned if he moved one tiny inch. And if he was really, really lucky, she’d do it again.
“So do bears have strong sexual needs? Or are you the buttoned-down type?”
If he’d been drinking, he would have choked. As it was, his breath caught and his head nearly exploded from the sudden triple beat of his heart. “Um, it depends on the bear, I suppose. But usually the drive is pretty strong. Especially in spring.”
She was silent a moment, and—praise God—she moved her fingers again. Twice more across his nipple, and his hips jerked involuntarily. It was a tiny movement, but undeniable.
“It’s spring now,” she said softly, and he scented arousal. But was it his or hers? Then she pushed up from the bed, her hand exerting a soft pressure as she levered up to look at him. “So do you think you could have sex with me?”
Yes! Yes! Yesyesyesyesyesyes!
“Um, I think you can already tell that answer,” he said. He’d thought the way she’d curled against his groin had been accidental. Apparently not, and the joy of that blew his mind. But he didn’t move yet. He couldn’t. He would leap on her like an animal.
