Page 17 of Bear

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

“Shelby, it’s been a long day.”

“But I’m having fun,” I whispered back.

Bear hummed as he slid his hand away from the back of my neck and settled against my cheek. His thumb swept over my lower lip, leaving a trail of heat that stole my breath away. When his gaze dropped to my mouth, suddenly the thought of him taking me home didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.

“More lemonade?” I rasped, desperate to get my head on straight again. I fumbled to stand, holding up my cup as an excuse to regain some distance.

“No, I’m fine,” Bear said slowly with a note of confusion in his voice.

“Or beer? I’ll get you more beer while I’m up.”

“Shelby - ”

But I didn’t hear Bear’s protest. I was already hurrying across the grass toward the buffet tables laden with food and drinks. I released a breath of relief, my skin buzzing with arousal. I was really getting more and more frazzled around Bear, my self-control gone haywire. My hands were shaking so bad that I couldn’t hold my cup still as I attempted to pour myself more lemonade from the keg.

Then Bear’s hand encircled mine, steadying me. His hot breath ghosted over the shell of my ear, skimming across the curve of my neck. I could feel the heat radiating from his broad chest at my back - it wouldn’t take more than the slightest shift of my weight to lean into him.

“I’ve got you,” Bear said, his voice low and soft.

I moved my hand away from the lemonade spigot to curve around his wrist. Turning my head to look at him, I found myself only a few inches away. Close enough to kiss if I wanted to. Maisie snuggled into the crook of his neck and shoulder with a sleepy little noise of contentment.

I’d been a fool to think that I wouldn’t fall in love with this man. I’d already given him my heart. Abandoning the lemonade, I threaded our fingers together and fully turned to face Bear.

“Take me home?” I asked, barely audible and laden with meaning.

Bear nodded. “I can do that.”

After leaving his motorcycle in the care of his club, Bear drove Maisie and I back to our apartment building. He waited as I stepped into my apartment. I took him by the hand and led him inside.

“Wait here.” I placed my palm in the middle of his chest, holding his gaze as I spoke to ensure that he knew I meant what I said. But maybe it was a gesture to partly reassure myself, too, that he wouldn’t disappear when I turned my back. “Don’t move.”

Bear didn’t budge as I tore my gaze away from him and moved to the bedroom, carrying a dozing Maisie. Tucking her into her crib, I returned to the living room to find Bear in the exact same spot.

I stopped in the hallway, leaning against the wall, my hands folded behind my back. The urge to sink into his arms nearly drove me to distraction.

“You didn’t leave,” I said.

Bear shook his head. “Did you want me to?”

“No,” I whispered.

“Then it’s a good thing I’m still here.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

“Yes, it is.”

With measured movements, Bear came to stand in front of me. I clenched my fingers into fists behind me, steeling myself against the desire to reach out and run my hands up the firm, muscled expanse of his torso. He was even bigger than Justin, dwarfing me with his size.

Bear brushed his knuckles against my cheek and traced his thumb down my jawline, ending at my chin. He tilted my head up as he leaned down and when his lips met mine in the sweetest, softest kiss, I sighed against his mouth. Any reservations and fears that had been holding me back melted away. I slid my arms around his neck. Bear cupped his hands to my waist, pulling me flush against him.

When he licked into my mouth and his tongue tangled with mine, it seemed to flip a switch for both of us. One minute, we were careful, and in the next moment, we were frantic, hungry, grasping and fumbling at each other.

I shoved the leather vest off his shoulders and it fell to the floor. Bear grabbed fistfuls of my mini skirt and yanked it up around my hips, exposing my panties. Then he scooped me up with one arm locked around my waist as if I weighed nothing at all which I knew wasn’t true. I’d always been curvy in high school, and with my pregnancy, I’d gained over forty pounds. I wasn’t a small woman, and yet Bear made it seem easy to lift me, pressing his hips between my thighs with my back against the wall.

“Couch or bedroom?” he asked.

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