Page 80 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

Just like her heart.

She was still in her scrubs from work, and they weren’t anything fancy. Just a simple lavender set with dancing teddy bears decorating the fabric.

On anyone else, it might have been cute, endearing even. But on her?

She made them look incredible. Sexy, even. I never would’ve guessed that nurse’s attire could make my pulse race, but Avery had a way of turning the mundane into something extraordinary.

Everything about her pulled me in, made me want to reach out and touch, to feel the warmth of her skin under my fingertips, to remind myself she was real.

I’d never felt this kind of pull toward another living being. Not even close.

Maybe that’s why I’d been an old as fuck virgin.

I already knew that was the truth. My bear and I couldn’t stand the idea of touching anyone who wasn’t our mate.

I’d been waiting for Avery. See, she wasn’t just someone. She was my fated mate.

That connection between us, the unshakable bond, made everything with her feel magnified.

Every glance, every smile, every laugh.

And it wasn’t just physical, though God knows that part was undeniable. It was deeper, rawer, like she was tied to the very essence of who I was.

And somehow, impossibly, it grew stronger with every passing minute.

I didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much, to want someone this fiercely. But here I was, standing in front of her, and all I could think about was how much I wanted her.

Not just in the way my body burned for her.

Though, fuck, there definitely was that.

But in every way.

I wanted to know what she was thinking, what kind of day she’d had. I wanted to make her laugh and hold her close and show her just how much she meant to me.

And right now, in this moment, everything hinged on whether or not she would forgive me for not telling her what I suspected about Rosie.

Would she let me in? Or push me away?

“Avery,” I murmured, but she held her hand up and shook her head.

I gasped fear and hurt making my throat stick.

My gaze was locked on her standing there in her lavender scrubs, her hair curling softly around her shoulders.

She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

But was she still mine?

Please be mine.

All my hope was concentrated on that one thing, and fuck, I would have done anything she said if she just said yes.

“Rosie, uh, she barely lasted fifteen minutes till she passed out,” she said, and smiled almost too brightly.

“That’s good,” I murmured. “She did a lot today. Should be tired.”

Avery nodded, wiping at her cheeks, and I just couldn’t stand to be separated from her any longer.

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