Page 44 of Bear Facts

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

Freya’s legs were still tangled in the blanket, Shane’s bare from his boxer briefs down. His T-shirt clung to his chest, his skin warm even in the winter.

Their hips and thighs touched, hands remaining entwined. Something hot and electric flowed into Shane and wound around his heart.

He brushed back her thick hair from her face, gazing down into her wolf’s golden eyes. Freya had beauty he’d never experienced before, one that pulled him to her even when he’d been shut in Eric’s house away from her.

Freya studied him without trepidation, letting him skim his fingers along the smooth curve of her face.

She didn’t protest at all when Shane leaned down and kissed her.

Freya’s mouth was warm, sweet, and worth kissing. Shane scooped her closer, and she deepened the kiss, hands finding his shoulders, the back of his neck.

Shane felt the connection inside him again, the one that had kicked in when he’d made the mate-claim.

This was right, good, the Goddess’s plan.

Sure, whatever. Shane shut down the poetic side of his brain and let the physical one take over.

Freya’s tongue drew fire, and Shane let her explore. She tasted of blackberries, a sign she’d been dining with bears. He smiled to himself as he enjoyed it, fingers touching the corners of her mouth to open her more to him.

Freya started to pull him down to her, then she drew back with a sudden gasp. Her eyes widened as she stared at him as though she had no idea how her mouth had come to be sealed against his.

Shane tried to convince himself to carefully settle her back on the bed, pull the covers over her, and get the hell out of this room.

Not one part of his body obeyed.

Well, they could stare at each other all night, or?—

Freya launched herself at him, her next kiss scorching. Shane fell backward onto the mattress, a sweet armful of Freya on top of him.

She kissed him as though she couldn’t get enough of his mouth, tongue, lips. Shane held her steadily with his big hands, her squirming rubbing in a nice way against his very stiff cock.

Her hair was silky warm, her mouth wonderful. Shane’s knee moved between her legs, and Freya moaned in her throat.

This could turn into mating frenzy very fast.

Who was he kidding, it was mating frenzy. Only reason why she’d stopped rolling her eyes at him and started frantically kissing him.

Again, Shane told himself to slide her away and leave the room, and again, his body wouldn’t obey.

Why not? the bear inside him growled. Mating ceremony’s only a formality.

Yeah, but …

Shane slid his hand behind Freya’s hair, ready to ease the kiss to a close, but Freya broke it abruptly. Her breath came rapidly, her mouth trembling.

“We shouldn’t do this,” she whispered. “I’m not ready.”

Shane rubbed his thumb across her moist lower lip and didn’t answer, forcing himself to calm the hell down.

Freya sent him a shaky smile. “You’re supposed to say, I’m not ready for this either, Freya.” She mimicked Shane’s baritone.

Laughter bubbled up inside him. She was going to be an amazing mate.

“I’ve been ready since you smacked into me in the woods,” Shane said. “Crazy wolf who shifted into a beautiful woman.”

He saw her flush in the darkness. “Why didn’t you ravish me then? Or try to, anyway.” He caught a flash of her wolf’s bravado.

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