Page 58 of The Bear's Reluctant Mate

“Charlie’s asleep?” Alfie asked, glancing toward the stairs. But it was more of a statement than a question.

Marion nodded. “Out like a light. All that gardening wore him out.”

She slipped past him, her arm brushing against his chest as she moved toward the kitchen. The brief contact sent electricity racing across her skin. She didn’t need to hear his footsteps to know he was following close behind her. So close all she had to do was reach out and…

She took a steadying breath, reminding herself she had no idea why he was here at this time of night. But her imagination sure could conjure up a few…

In the kitchen, Marion turned to face him, suddenly unsure what to do with her hands. “Do you want a drink?”

“No,” Alfie replied, his voice cracking slightly on the single syllable.

The way he looked at her made her breath catch. His eyes were so dark and intense, filled with unmistakable desire, and the air between them seemed to crackle with tension. With all the things they’d left unsaid.

Marion moved toward him slowly, drawn by an irresistible pull. When she reached him, she placed her hands lightly on his chest, feeling his heart thundering beneath her palms.

“Alfie,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

He reached out and placed his hand on her waist. Heat spread through her body. Heat and desire for this man. Desire she saw mirrored in his eyes.

For a moment, they simply stood there, neither of them daring to move. Then Marion rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss started soft and tentative. Then Alfie groaned, his arms tightening around her as he deepened the kiss. Marion melted against him, her hands sliding up to tangle in his hair.

Heat bloomed between them as the kiss grew more urgent, years of loneliness and longing pouring out in each touch. Marion pressed herself against him, feeling the hard evidence of his desire. The knowledge that he wanted her as desperately as she wanted him was intoxicating.

Alfie’s hands roamed her back, pulling her impossibly closer as his tongue entwined with hers. Marion felt dizzy with want, every nerve ending alive, her skin tingling under his touch.

Then suddenly, with what seemed like tremendous effort, Alfie broke the kiss and pulled back slightly. His breathing was ragged, his eyes dark pools of desire as he gazed down at her.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, his voice strained.

Marion’s stomach dropped, ice replacing the warmth that had suffused her moments before. This was it…the moment when everything would fall apart. Just like it always did.

Chapter Nineteen – Alfie

The taste of her lips lingered on his, sweet and intoxicating as wildflower honey, but Alfie knew he couldn’t delay any longer. Tonight was the night Marion would learn the truth.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, as his desire was replaced by anxiety.

Marion’s eyes widened, and Alfie watched as the happiness in them was swiftly replaced by fear. A change so sudden it made his heart ache. Her body tensed beneath his hands, already preparing for disappointment.

Say something,his bear urged frantically.She thinks you’re rejecting her.

“It’s nothing bad,” Alfie blurted out, his arms still wrapped around her waist. “At least, I hope you don’t think it’s bad.”

Marion let out a long breath, her shoulders relaxing slightly. “Okay.”

That single word, spoken with such cautious hope, told Alfie everything he needed to know about her past. Marion had been let down so often she had been expecting bad things to happen.

Alfie hoped with all his heart that what he was about to share with her would be agood thing. The beginning of something extraordinary.

He cupped her face in his hand, and she leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment. The trust in that simple gesture nearly broke his resolve.

Now,his bear demanded.

I know.Alfie stroked her cheek with his thumb, then leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers once more…softly, reverently. A promise sealed with a kiss.

Then he took her hand and led her through the house to the back door.

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