Page 10 of Grizzly's Bear

“He’s tracking your scent,” Jensen murmured, his nose twitching.

Rissa stepped out of the cabin Jensen used as a lab and paused to watch Slade stalk toward her. Lord, he was sexy. She shouldn’t be turned on by the aggressive male glaring as he approached her, but she was. Without giving herself a chance to second guess, she met him halfway and wrapped herself around him. When he lifted her higher against him, she tugged his head to hers and pressed her mouth to his. He cupped her ass, his fingers flexing and squeezing, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Jesus, get a room!”

Rissa didn’t lift her head to see which of the Holloway brothers made the remark. She didn’t care. She was all for following that advice.

“Don’t leave without telling me where you’re going again.” The order fell from Slade’s lips as soon as their kiss broke.

“What?” She shook her head, still a little befuddled from his caress.

“I told you not to leave the room.”

That got through loud and clear.

“Excuse me.”

“I told—”

“I heard what you said,” she interrupted. “I was giving you a chance to take back your stupidity and not piss me off.”

“I—”

“Put me down,” she commanded, interrupting him again. She wiggled and shoved at him when he didn’t let her go. “I said put me down, Slade. Now.”

He dropped her to her feet but stayed inches from her. She had the impression he was ready to snatch her up again if she made any sudden moves he didn’t agree with.

“I’m not a child, and I won’t be treated like one.”

“You’re hurt. Still healing. You should be in bed.”

“Lucky for us, I have Jensen to check over me and make sure I’m healing just fine,” she snapped back.

Slade growled.

“And I don’t recall you worried about me being hurt when you were fucking me in the a—” She squawked as he pressed his hand over her mouth, cutting off what she’d been saying. She shoved his hand away. “You can’t have it both ways, Slade.”

“Why don’t I take you back to bed then. You were certainly more agreeable there.”

“You son-of-a-bitch. You’re lucky I’m an intelligent woman. One who knows you’re only being an overbearing ass because my being taken scared you.” His eyes snapped fire, but she saw the truth. He cared.

“You weren’t merely taken, Rissa. They beat the hell out of you. They…” He stopped, shaking his head. It hit her. She may have been the one injured, but she didn’t remember it. Slade had found her though, and seen what they’d done to her.

“Yes, they did, and I survived. You can’t lock me in your bedroom and never let me out.”

“I could,” he growled, and this time, she laughed.

“I might let you for a little bit,” she agreed then turned serious. “But I’ve never been one to hide, and I won’t start now.”

He reached for her again, and she stepped into him, understanding his need to touch her. She needed to feel him, too. In that moment, she knew she was done running. She couldn’t change the past, but she could embrace her future. A future that included the sexy man before her. The man she planned to mate and spend the rest of her life with.

“Walk with me?” She wiggled her fingers at him as she stepped back.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm before twining his fingers with hers.

“Where would you like to go?” he asked.

“Somewhere we can talk. Alone.”

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