Page 40 of Salvation

He worked her nipple around and around until she was dancing wildly over him. Then he switched sides and alternated light rubs of his stubbly cheek with soft licks, and she groaned even more.

More,his bear chanted inside.Please, more.

He cupped her breast, kneading it, funneling the tight nub toward his mouth until he was gorging on her. Bear-style, like he might with the sweetest honey of summer or the last berries of fall. The way a bear did when he knew winter was coming, and it was going to be long and hard.

The thought hovered over him ominously until he swiped it away.Laterdidn’t matter. Not right now.

His hands wandered along her tight, smooth curves — unbearably beautiful curves, from the swell of her ass to the plunging lines beyond that called to his bear.

Must have my woman. Must have her soon.

He worked his hand around until he cupped her mound, and she bucked against him in delight. He popped the button of her jeans, tucked his fingers inside the waistband, and then froze.

Sanity check. Was he really going to strip her right here?

Of course, we’re going to strip her right here,his bear snapped back.

Anna wiggled, giving him the green light, and he rolled her jeans and panties away. The second she straddled him, his hips jerked up.

He groaned past the nipple still teasing his mouth and touched her between the legs. The scent of her arousal, together with the slippery moisture greeting his fingers worked him like a one-two punch.

“Yes…” she whispered when he probed deeper, exploring her folds.

Her body was tight with muscle, but inside, she was pillow soft. So soft, he might even have thought along the lines ofdelicateif she hadn’t been grinding so hard against his hand.

The thought of how good it would feel to bury himself in that sweet heaven almost made him come there and then. But, shit. He froze.

Anna’s head popped up, and her hair cascaded back in a silky wave. Her breasts bobbed above his face, pink from the scratch of his stubble.

“What?”

“I don’t have a condom.”

She dropped back to his chest and made a cooing sound, totally unconcerned. “I’m clean. Believe me, I’m clean.”

He shook his head. As a shifter, he couldn’t catch or transmit anything. That wasn’t the issue. “Still need a condom.”

He might let himself get carried away with Anna — Jesus, he couldn’t stop himself — but he’d never neglect a condom again. No way.

She shook her head, hiding her face against his chest and whispering the first words he failed to catch that night.

“What?” He stroked her silky skin.

“I can’t get pregnant,” Anna mumbled.

He stopped moving, but a second later, Anna threw herself back into the rocking motion as if to erase emotion with action. Her voice was casual, unconcerned, but he could hear the pain beneath it.

“You can’t…” he echoed stupidly, then shut up.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered. Desperate, he sensed, to get past the subject. “Please don’t stop.”

He dragged her head down to his and plunged into a kiss. She wanted distraction? Fine. He’d distract her all night. But sooner or later, he’d work her back to the topic. No way should she keep that kind of pain inside.

First things first,his bear murmured.

He nodded. Yeah, he was okay with that. But he wouldn’t forget. Not something as important as that.

All right, then,his bear growled.

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