“Blame the books I read,” I replied. “While it was definitely a shock, I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment.”
Somehow that was the perfect thing to say. His gaze grew hotter and hotter as he stared down at me.
“Yeah?” His voice was low and husky. “Me too, my mate. Me too.”
This was a perfect moment. My heart swelled at the sound of those two words, never realising how much I needed to hear them. While the journey here sucked, I couldn’t be sad at where I’d ended up. I turned then, ready to kiss him, needing to feel his lips back on mine, when Kyle came walking in.
“Ready?”
“In a second.”
Lucas leaned down then and brushed his mouth against mine, but that would never be enough. Seeing those bears, hearing their words, it opened something inside me. A hunger that was always tamped down, trodden on, shamed and rejected by Mike, but not now. Lucas was my fated mate, and that meant he wanted my hand in his hair, tugging him back down. He wanted kisses, open mouthed and hungry kisses, just as much as I did.
And so did Kyle.
He looked way too pale when we finally pulled apart, blinking as if just waking up from a dream.
“I’m gonna be really happy when I’ve earned the right to kiss you like that,” he ground out.
“Who says you need to earn it?” I gestured for him to come forward.
The way his smile faded and something desperate rose to replace it was everything I needed. At first it was a little awkward, our noses bumping against each other.
“Just take a breath.”
I wasn’t sure if Kyle was saying that to himself or me, but we both did just that and then moved as one.
Would it always feel like this? Not the wet smack of lips on lips, but something magical. Desire pooled like molten lava in my belly as my hand went to his neck. I couldn’t help but feel the corded muscle there, then the feather softness of his hair, still damp from the shower. One kiss led to another because I couldn’t seem to get enough. Kyle let out a little sound of pleasure, right as another voice broke in.
“You’re all ready? Good.”
We jerked apart at Asher’s clipped tones, but that was a weird thing too, because if the others were mine, that meant… I looked him over more closely now, taking in the fresh t-shirt and worn jeans, those cool blue eyes watching me watch him. That meant he was mine too.
“Not quite ready.” Kyle swung me around to face Asher. “You haven’t kissed our mate good morning yet.”
I wanted to protest at that and so did Asher, his breath sucked in to deny me this, but before he could say anything, he nodded. One step, another, somehow this was more terrifying than seeing a fully grown polar bear standing before me. The bear seemed all too keen for me to scratch his ears, but the man found it much harder.
Maybe Asher remembered that dream, the first one. Maybe he knew exactly how my lips would feel on his, because that’s what I thought right now. That intimidating stare took on a whole other cast, the blue of his eyes becoming molten fire, right before one finger slid along my jawline. My lips were tiltedupwards and he pressed a kiss to my mouth, just a chaste one, before making a small sound of surrender.
Teeth, tongue, my mouth forced open to admit him, I was wrenched from Kyle’s arms and into his. At first, my hand landed on his chest, trying to maintain some space, but not for long. I needed this too. I needed to be cared for, wanted, desired, lo… My brain stalled on that last part, forcing me to suck breaths in when we pulled apart.
“OK, I am well and truly kissed now,” I rasped out, my head spinning.
“We should go before this devolves into something else,” Asher replied.
Into what? I wanted to ask, but I got a little preview as we drove over to the meeting house.
No one rode shotgun,leaving Asher to roll his eyes as he slid behind the steering wheel. Instead, I was wedged between two very large men in the backseat.
My men.
I found my hands moving, settling on their thighs, and Kyle covered my hand with his while Lucas picked my injured one up carefully, cradling it for the ride. That small act of affection was soaked up thirstily by my soul. It helped dispel any worries I might have about meeting the women of the bear community, right up until we pulled up out the front of the building.
It wasan impressive looking community centre, complete with perfectly manicured gardens and shiny reflective windows, and I felt like anything but. Lucas slid out, then offered me his hand.
“You’ll be fine,” he assured me.
“You can smell me worrying?” I asked, remembering the different lore from my books.