She leaned in, touching the tip of her nose to his skin and then her lips, drawing them over his heart, searching for the heavy beat under his skin. Natale turned to the side, laying her cheek gently against the wall of his chest. She closed her eyes and scented tall trees, clear skies, summer sun-warmed grass. She was surrounded in the majesty of nature and at the center of it all, Salvatore.

He called to her deep down inside where she liked to hide. Close to Salvatore she wanted to be wild, needed to be brave, not for him, but for herself. She wanted to be with him in every way possible.

She lifted her gaze to his, watched the presence in his eyes shift from man to bear and back again, but it didn’t matter whose eyes met hers, she felt loved. She belonged.

“Do you want me,” she swallowed, and allowed herself a moment to feel the incredible rush of standing at the edge of the cliff, “forever?”

His answer was immediate. Bending down he wrapped his thick-muscular arms around the tops of her thighs and lifted her easily off of the floor, bringing her high enough that they could meet each other eye-to-eye.

“I want you,” he grinned, his warm breath fanning across her cheek, “I've wanted you every moment since we met. That’s not going to change, Tesoro, but it’s more than just wanting you in my arms, or in my bed. I need you. Your smile. The touch of your hand. The sound of your voice. My life would be nothing without you.”

She felt tears rolling down her cheeks and closed her eyes as he leaned closer, kissing her tears from her skin. “I don’t know how it happened,” she blurted out the words before she thought better of them, “but I went from living with hope to living with a full heart. You riled up my world and tossed everything up in the air. I was so afraid that when the pieces came down, it would be just that, pieces.

“But in the middle of everything, you were there, the rock that I could cling to.” She sighed and wiggled against him, feeling the way his body hardened against her even more. “I just want you to know I will be there for you too.”

His smile held more than a hint of promise in it, his scent held passion.

Natale only knew that the time had come to make the decision that she could never, would never, take back.

“Salvatore, make me yours forever.”

“Mine,” his voice was his own, but his bear pushed closer on a growl, “my mate.”

She couldn’t help the way she melted against him, leaning as close as she could. “And you’re mine, Salvatore. Please, you promised you’d…” She lost her words when he closed his lips over the pulse in her throat. “Promised that you’d…”

His teeth rasped over the same spot as his body pushed closer, demanding more than just an embrace.

Before she realized what was happening, Salvatore backed into her bedroom, taking the impact of the door on his back, cushioning her from the heavy hit of vibrations, pausing only to flick the switch for the lights. When he reached the foot of the bed, he set her down on her feet before him. Her hands joined his, shedding their clothing, leaving them in piles at the foot of the bed.

She felt him slide an arm around her waist, turning her back toward the bed.

Natale set her palm on his chest, shook her head, and felt the tremors roll through her body from his. She saw the question and the worry that bled into his eyes. She answered it with a smile. “Let me, Salvatore, give me a chance to take you first. Lie down for me.”

She felt it in the simple touch of their bodies, the way his muscles coiled as if he was going to pounce on her, pin her to the ground. She would have let him, she would never deny either of them the rush of passion, they would benefit from it either way.

She watched him back away, one step and then another, until he felt the bed against the back of his legs. Sitting down, he leaned back and easily laid himself out on her bed, his feet still on the floor.

Moving between his knees she paused to enjoy the view before leaning over to take him in her hand. It was an incredible feeling, having a man with his strength and powerful body giving her the freedom to do what she wanted. That he would give her the trust to touch him humbled her as well.

She stroked him, gently at first, learning the weight of him, the textures of his skin, the veins that crawled over his length, and the crisp scratch of his hair against the side of her hand. As she drew her hand back up toward the tip, she leaned over and met her fingers with her lips, taking his head into her mouth.

His muscles tensed, moving him ever so slightly beneath her. His breathing slowed and then sped up when her lips drew him deeper into her mouth, her fingers massaging his shaft.

He grumbled and she felt the sheets shift against her legs. A quick glance spoke volumes. Salvatore’s hands were knotted in the bedding, a fine sheen of sweat coating his skin.

The expression on his face bordered on pain and she wondered if she’d taken it too far. Lifting her mouth from him she licked her lips under his watchful and stormy eyes. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Yes!” His voice spat from his lips while his head shook, sending a soft spray of sweat shimmering in the light. “No!” He growled and his teeth gnashed together. “Whatever you want.”

Her heart constricted in her chest. She wanted to give him pleasure, but this seemed to cut too close to pain.

Releasing him gently from her hand, she watched as his head fell back against the bed, breath panting from his lips.

“I’m not trying to tease you,” she spoke to him as she crawled up onto the bed, her thigh brushing his.

“I know,” he turned his head enough that she could see his eyes clearly. “That doesn’t stop my bear from wanting to devour you.” She paused, hesitating, until she saw the tight smile on his lips. “He wants me to treat you to the same torture, Natale. And I have to say that soon, preferably sometime before dawn, I intend to taste your heat on my tongue, feast on you as you come against my mouth.”

Her elbow buckled as the images flooded her thoughts, but it didn’t stop her or change her mind, instead it goaded her on. She kept contact with his eyes as she closed the scant distance between them, straddling his hips, watching his eyes slowly close to half-mast. And still, she knew that he watched her, felt the rough drag of air into his lungs as his body rose up to touch her in a gentle caress.