Page 21 of Bear in a Bakery
How could she trust the little voice inside that said he was the man for her?
Dax’s eyes drew down her body, making her flush. He paused at her waist where the tie to her apron had come loose. His fingers trailed slowly over her sides, fleshing out a reminder of how it had felt to be under his hands while he made her cum. Little electric sparks jumped on her heated skin. He trailed along the tie and pulled the loose knot free with one finger.
Allie let out a breath. His head was bent as he worked to slowly work the strings, all that golden hair at the perfect level for her to dig her fingers into. She itched to do just that, but held back, too consumed by the sweet sensation of his fingers brushing against her body.
“One thing about bear shifters, Allie.” Dax said in a low voice. “Is that we can sense the key element in a female that makes them compatible as a mate.”
His palms gripped her hips, his fingers splaying wide over the rise of her ass. She moaned and closed her eyes as his face moved to the crook of her neck. His breath washed over the exposed skin there, his lips promising a kiss there.
God, how she wanted him to.
“Do you know what the key element is?”
She shook her head, too enraptured to speak. She might be suspicious in how fast she’d become attracted to him, but she couldn’t deny the immediate and forceful pull he had over her body.
Dax’s lips feathered over the curve in her neck. Allie jerked at the gentle touch, her fingers knotting into fists to keep from pulling him closer. Yet, her head fell to the side in complete supplication. It might be wrong to take the pleasure he was offering her, but she didn’t care.
She’d be a selfish bitch, just this once. Because damn, she’d never felt like this before.
“Your scent is the key. Usually, only the man meant to be your mate can detect it. Sometimes more than one can, and then you get the classic love war. But your scent, Allie. It’s just for me.”
One big, warm hand pressed into her lower back. He gripped the hair at the back of her head with the other. In one gentle but firm move, he pulled her head back and hovered his lips over hers.
“You weren’t truly compatible with the shifter you dated.”
She made a noise of disgust. “Thankfully.”
Dax brushed her lips with his. “Was he an Alpha?”
She wanted to sink into the sensations roving her body, but she gave herself a mental slap.
“I... I don’t know the difference.”
Dax cruised her jaw with his lips. “I’m an Alpha. Our genetics are strong, demanding, and potent. We must take mates and produce cubs before our thirty-fourth birthday, or we lose the ability. Beta shifters get a little longer. Drone shifters are the lowest, the weakest. They can mate their entire lives, because their genetics are weak, and it often takes several tries for them to successfully reproduce.”
He kissed her neck with luxurious slowness. Her mind absorbed his words, but she didn’t really process them.
“He... wasn’t an Alpha.”
Dax groaned—or was that a growl?
“A woman like you demands and Alpha. You’re mine, Allie. Deep down, you already know that don’t you?”
She breathed against his mouth, her body tight with anticipation. She felt equal parts safe and nervous, and with everything inside her, she loved his dominance. No man had ever taken control like this. She didn’t even need to think about whether she liked it; it was instinctual and right now, she’d allow him to do anything he wanted. Allie gripped his sides, trying to hold him back while wanting nothing more than to pull him closer.
“Humans detect their most compatible partner initially by scent, too, but most are too far removed from their animalistic pasts to be conscious about it. The second component is taste.” His lips brushed over hers. Allie parted her lips, immediately seeking more.
Dax grinned. “I already know you taste amazing and I want more.”
His mouth covered hers in a deep draw that meshed their tongues and breath. The kiss pulled the plug on her restraint. Allie wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer with a desperation she’d never experienced before. Her flesh ached to feel him hot and naked along every inch of her body. She wanted his lips and hands all over her, his cock filling her until she was completely dominated by him.
She worked her left leg around his thigh and hitched it as high as she could. Pressing her hips into him, Allie grabbed fistfuls of his shirt.
Dax smiled against her mouth. Allie realized what she was doing. She was literally trying to climb him.
“See? Look what a wild kitten you are for me.”
Disgusted with her lack of restraint, Allie put her palms on Dax’s chest, and with a pang of regret, pushed him back. He moved but kept one hand on her hip.
