Page 13 of Bear Boss's Mate
Marcy knew she should turn him down and say she’d changed her mind, but words escaped her at that moment. “Oh,” she managed.
“How does tomorrow night sound?” he asked.
Marcy’s lips parted. Her mind raced with excuses.But I can’t. It’s not a good idea. No thanks. All good responses.
“Okay. That sounds fine,” she breathed, biting down on her bottom lip.What are you doing?The little voice in her head admonished.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at six. See you then,” Austin said before hanging up.
She tossed the phone onto the sofa beside her and squealed. “It’s really going to happen. Oh my God.” She paced the room, trying to pull herself together. Telling herself it would be okay and that this wasn’t such a bad idea.
The guys at Bear Bones aren’t assholes. It’ll be fine. Her hands went to her hips while she nodded to herself. “What can it hurt? It’s just one date.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
AUSTIN HAD NO INTENTIONof spending another Saturday night alone at home. He’d intentionally waited until the end of the week to ask Marcy out, not wanting to pressure her. He hoped she wouldn’t over-think it if he sprung the date on her and was glad when she said yes. Despite her hesitation on the phone.
He was pretty sure the attraction between them was mutual. He’d sensed her arousal a couple of times when they were near each other. It pleased him and his inner bear.
Needing to burn off some excess energy before tonight’s date, Austin stripped off his clothes, preparing to go for a run. Inhaling and releasing a breath, he tensed for a moment before his muscular body expanded. He let out a groan while he sprouted dark brown fur, and his hands were replaced with large paws tipped with black claws. As a large grizzly bear, he stood on his hind legs and raised his nose in the air.
It had been several days since Austin allowed himself to shift and run through the vast forest across from his property. The inner turmoil he faced had been deepened by the incessant rumblings of his bear telling him he wanted their mate.
Austin did too, and was tired of waiting any longer for her. Each time he thought about Marcy or saw her, the bear side of him reminded him of this.
He ran through the forest, his body warmed by the thick fur despite the cool air. Even in bear form, Austin could still feel, hear, and see everything going on around him. It was more as if he were in the room’s corner watching rather than doing the bear’s actions.
The growing need to have sexual release was making him more impatient and short-tempered in recent months. Jacking off in the shower to thoughts of Marcy did little to help ease his growing need for her.
These moments when the bear was in control helped distract him somewhat.
As he ran, Austin thought about his plans for his date with Marcy. When he booked the dinner reservation, he’d requested they be seated away from the windows. Away from prying eyes and any danger that going out might cause.
If things went well, he planned to invite Marcy to his place. Austin wanted to get to know her outside of work.
He wasn’t sure what had happened with her ex and wanted to reassure her despite her reservations about him. Her hesitancy to go out with him made sense once Bern revealed what he’d learned. He wasn’t about to back down, but he didn’t want to scare her off, either. Austin hoped he could prove to Marcy he had no intention of hurting her.
In fact, he would fight for her.
She was his mate. She just didn’t know it yet.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MARCY WAS BACK ANDforth about the idea of going out with the boss. Technically; he wasn’t herdirectboss. After her experience with Mick, she was unsure about dating someone from work.
She told herself this time was different. She was attracted to Austin, way more than she’d been to any other man. He also seemed a genuine, nice guy. She felt good around him, unlike Mick.
Marcy couldn’t help but think about the downside of things if she began to date Austin. What if things went badly? She fretted, as usual, shaking her head.
To make matters more worrisome, she’d never dated a shifter before and wasn’t all that experienced with men. Especially someone like Austin who oozed sex appeal and was downright hard to resist.
Would he expect her to sleep with him on their first date? What would he think of her if she did?
She couldn’t. It was too soon. It wouldn’t be right. Would it?
She’d never slept with someone on a first date before. But she’d be prepared to make an exception for Austin. She laughedout loud, not believing where her mind went sometimes. “How am I going to get through tonight?”
Sighing, she tried to convince herself she was making too big a deal over one night out. After all, he could have any woman he wanted. Why ask her out in the first place? It wasn’t like she was slender or sexy. There was nothing special about her.
