Page 30 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

“Hey, you can hear lies, right? Penny said something like that to me about Shifters,” I began.

“Yeah. Well, it’s not like I have a built in lie detector, but subtle changes in body language and the tone and pitch of your voice give away your emotions. Shifters learn early what happens to someone when you lie, and we can pick up on it.”

“So then you know I’m not lying when I tell you I don’t need a six-pack, Dante. I mean I’m not perfect, either?—”

“Who the fuck said you’re not perfect? You are everything a woman should be, Avery,” he growled, and shivers ran through me.

I wasn’t a Shifter, but the way he was looking at me. Like I was his favorite meal had me all hot, wet, and wanting.

I felt his desire all the way to my core, and it made me tremble.

“To you, maybe,” I said, not even bothering to hide my grin. “But that’s all I need. You. I just need you, Dante.”

“You mean that?”

“You tell me,” I countered, and felt his chest rumble with his Bear.

Oh, but this man felt big to me. And I didn’t mean his size. I meant he was important. Special.

Mine.

“As for looks, you must know you’re ridiculously hot. The first time I saw you I almost swallowed my tongue.”

“You did?”

“Dante, I made an ass of myself twice, throwing myself at you. I’ve wanted you from day one. You know that, right?”

“You never made an ass of yourself. It was my own hang ups that made me falter, but never again, Avery. I swear it.”

My stomach trembled with butterflies as he spilled his secrets, telling me his feelings. Could it be we’d both gotten the wrong idea about each other?

I thought he hated me, and he thought I was indifferent. But nothing could be farther from the truth.

I wasn’t a woman who trusted easily. But I wanted to believe him. And it was time I told him that.

“I believe you, Dante. Now, take off that shirt. Let me see you,” I said.

This time, when I took the bottom of his shirt from his fingertips, Dante allowed it. I tugged the soft cotton over his head, revealing hard, warm, bronzed skin and all the air seemed to get sucked right out of the room.

How could he think he was anything other than gorgeous?

I was frozen in my study of him. Held captive by the masculine beauty that graced his form. Every curve of muscle was a work of art. Every swirl of dark hair, perfection.

My heart thudded, the pace increasing and I wondered if it was possible to come apart without ever touching.

Excitement filled me. An eagerness I never felt before.

“You too, Honey. I wanna see my girl,” he rumbled.

Dante’s big hands slid up my sides, and I had one moment of doubt as they skimmed the soft rolls of my belly, but he just kept on humming his approval and I didn’t have time for self-consciousness.

He moved them behind my back and unhooked my bra. It took him two tries, but it only endeared him to me. It was silly, but I was damn happy he fumbled.

I was glad Dante wasn’t some wannabe Romeo. Truth was I hardly noticed, since I was, at that moment, drooling over his deliciously thick body.

What had he said about not having a six-pack?

He was crazy to worry about that. I mean, the man was insanely hot.

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