Page 45 of The Bear's Forever Mat
He also liked the way she tasted, the way she kissed, and the way she moaned his name when he made her come. It was a most entertaining evening.
Darkness still covered the village when they woke. Cooper stoked the fire then crawled back into bed, happy for the mattress after their time spent roughing it.
He played with Amber’s hair, stroking it through his fingers as she stared sleepily at him, a contented expression on her face. “We’ll have to figure out a way to get home, but we can stay and visit for as long as you’d like.”
“I don’t want to keep you from your family for too long,” Amber told him. “Plus, I think I’ll be coming to visit often.”
“We can definitely put that in a plan.”
She laughed, then her expression grew serious. “I need to tell you something.”
Cooper tensed.
Even with Amber flat on the mattress, it looked as if she steeled her spine. “When I came to your hideout for mating fever, I told you I was on birth control. I am… or was. It’s out there somewhere in a snowbank. Which means I should’ve thought of it sooner. Before we had sex last night.”
Interesting development.
“I’m not too worried,” Cooper admitted. “Number one because I don’t think you missing a day or so would set you ovulating right away. But now I have a question for you, as I refer back to our mating fever discussions and one of the differences between us.” He stretched beside her, resting his head on an arm. “You’re young. We never talked about if you want kids. Or if you do want them, how long you want to wait before we start.”
She got that look about her. The one meaning that while she was embarrassed, she wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip past. “I want kids, and I’m interested in having them whenever it happens.” She damn near fluttered her lashes at him. “Seeing little Bram yesterday made me realize that. But it was seeing you with him—good grief, I may have gotten pregnant right then and there because my ovaries went into overdrive.”
Cooper laughed. The sound broke free, impossible to stop. She was so serious yet so sweetly intense in that way she got when she talked with her friends, and what he felt inside welled up and over, deeper and richer. “Then we won’t worry about missed birth control pills, because I’m good with whenever it happens, as well.”
Then, because it seemed appropriate, he rolled her on top of him and encouraged her to wake up all the way, as enthusiastically as she liked.
It was nearly noon before they made it out of the cottage, stepping carefully on the snowy footpaths back to Mason’s house.
Ahead there was a clatter of voices, and Cooper kept a firm grip on Amber’s hand as he diverted them toward a new location.
Overhead, a plane buzzed as it circled the community, the reason for the gathering now clear. People had gathered at the edge of the airstrip on the outskirts of the community.
Cooper chuckled as he realized Amber had moved in front of him as if to protect him.
And he’d let her.
She glanced over her shoulder, blinked, then grinned.
The plane landed and slowly taxied toward the gathering, and as he recognized the vehicle, the place inside Cooper that was full of love for his family lit up again.
“Oh my goodness.Really?” Amber said a moment before the plane stopped and the side hatch swung open. Family and friends poured out to the ground, Kaylee and Lara glancing around eagerly.
A moment later, the three women were tangled in a hug.
Alex descended a little slower, his hands full of bags. James paced after him. Both of them dropped their loads to the ground and held up their arms so they could make cheering motions toward Cooper.
Alex hesitated, glancing toward James as two women in the crowd stepped forward.
The brothers quickly bent their knees and leaned lower, heads snapping back in unison as fists made brisk contact.
A second later, they’d all moved on. The woman who had punched Alex patted him on the back before pushing him toward his mate. It was Caitlin, their ranger from the previous day. The woman was also a seal shifter, which explained so much.
“Remind her not to tear my head off, will you, Amber?” Caitlin asked with a dash of amusement.
Amber had been restraining Lara and offered a quick thumbs-up.
Yup. Visits to Amber’s brother were going to be entertaining, that was for sure.
“What are you doing here?” Cooper asked as his brothers rubbed their hands briskly over their jaws.
