Page 50 of The Thief

That made me want to laugh, but it wasn’t funny. Nothing about my situation was funny. “No, I don’t think so. This feels familiar and natural. But all those years were wiped away, including my experiences with men. Or women. Who knows what I engaged in? I left home with my innocence intact, so sex came later. In the time since my memory started working, it’s been awkward. I don’t know anything about myself, so sleeping around was the last thing on my mind. To say that I’m rusty in the sack is the understatement of the year.”

It was difficult to verbalize my thoughts on the matter. With no memory of being with a man, it had stripped away my confidence in all sexual matters. Most Shifters, wolves in particular, preferred curvy girls. What did men think of my petite body? I wanted to feel sexy and worshipped, but most of my interactions with the opposite sex had been unremarkable except for human men, who were naturally drawn to our energy. What did I like in bed? Was I any good?

Bear stroked my hair so tenderly that I felt silly raising the issue. But the longer he stayed silent, the more nervous I got about my confession.

“I know it’s like riding a bike,” I rambled on, “but I’m not sure how good I am. Or bad. I might peddle too hard or not fast enough.”

“Shhh, stop thinking about it. Listen to your body.” His nose dipped in my hair, and he drew in a deep breath. “Fuck. You smell like cotton candy.”

Chapter 9

My lips pressed to his warm chest, and I kissed him tenderly. Meanwhile, my hand explored his broad torso, a combination of smooth skin and soft hair. When I dragged my leg over his, Bear’s breath hitched.

“You might have to take the lead,” I suggested, fearing he might criticize my seduction techniques. “I’m not sure what you like.”

Bear rolled onto his side and faced me, his warm hand resting on my hip. “I like touching,” he said in a tone so assertive that it moved across my body like fire.

His hand skimmed down to my thigh and then up beneath my nightie. Desire pooled when his fingers played with the hem of my panties before working their way up.

Bear’s touch was tender but sexual, needy but restrained. When his palm moved down my spine, something unfurled deep within me, and a ripple of pleasure lapped across my sex.

I drew his nipple into my mouth and teased it with my tongue. “Is this okay?”

“More than okay,” he purred. “What’s your favorite food?” His fingers explored the back of my thigh.

“Why?”

I trembled when his lips touched the shell of my ear.

“Because food is my love language, and I want to make love to you.”

“Potato salad. But not the kind with the eggs.”

While kissing my neck, he dragged my panties down. “What do you like in your salad?”

“Creamy mayo, tangy mustard, sweet pickles…” I was getting wet from his mouth on my skin and the heat of his breath.

Bear kissed every inch of my neck and shoulder. “Don’t stop. Green peppers?”

I didn’t even know what a green pepper was anymore. A tremor of anticipation rolled through me as he squeezed my bare ass and peppered my shoulder with more kisses. “Um, sure. And a tender brisket—the kind that melts in your mouth.”

Bear released a sharp groan and then pulled me to a sitting position. He lifted my nightie, and once my hands were free, I crossed my arms over my chest. It was dark but not dark enough.

Sitting beside me, Bear tilted my chin up with the crook of his finger. He planted his other hand next to me and leaned on it so our lips were a breath apart. “Should I hide my body?”

“No,” I quickly replied. “You’re magnificent.”

He kissed both corners of my mouth. “And so are you.”

Bear caressed my arm and delivered a kiss that could melt glaciers, his tongue sliding against mine. I’d never felt so hungry for a man.

“Show me,” he urged between kisses.

Our lips moved in rhythm, the taste of him awakening every cell in my body. My insecurities evaporated like water in the flames.

Bear kissed his way to my neck, his beard brushing deliciously against my skin. I reclined to my back, and with every twist and press of his tongue, my body hummed. When he pulled my nipple into his mouth, I watched breathlessly.

He tasted me.

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