chapter 33

She glanced around the quiet forest. “This is so beautiful. So tell me about you. How do you like being a bear-shifter chief? I bet that’s got to be exciting.”

He shrugged. He hated talking about himself. He preferred to learn about her and how her life had changed in the past years.

“It has its moments,” he said, watching the sunlight shine off her gorgeous brown skin.

“You know…” She squinted out at the distance, leaning slightly into him. “You remind me a lot of someone.”

His heartbeat tripped in his chest. “Someone you liked, I hope.”

She smiled and turned to face him, the sparkle in her eyes filled with mischief. “Maybe. Okay, he was a great friend. I actually miss him. Your eyes and your name remind me of him. But you’re not like him.”

“How am I different?”

“Ky used to have a hard time looking me in the eyes. He also stuttered when we spoke.” She sighed. “He was shy. Not that I was much better.”

He shook his head, remembering the beautiful girl she used to be. Now he was faced with a sexy adult that still managed to make him tongue-tied. “I find that hard to believe.”

She winked. “I was shy. Thankfully poor Ky never knew the kind of stuff running around my head or he probably would have killed our friendship.” With another of those heart-melting smiles, she leaned toward him some more. “How did we end up back on me? Tell me about your family. Do they live nearby?”

He nodded and jumped back to his feet, offering her his hand and helping her stand. “They do. Only my mother and sister are around now.” He continued to hold her hand as they made their way closer to the river. “My father passed some years back.”

“I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay. It was a big fight against some hunters. We had some in our clan giving away private information on our river and winter food stock to a rival clan. They hired hunters and there was a very big war.”

“That’s awful,” she said and patted his arm. “Losing family sucks big time.”

Why did he tell her about his dad? He hated talking about it. His father hadn’t been the best father or even the best husband, but he’d been a damned good leader. He’d held the clan together and devoted himself to ensuring the group prospered. But it was Ky and his financial savvy that had increased their combined portfolios. He’d gotten their land ownership to be twice what it was and had doubled the savings of every clan member.

Still, telling her about his father was big even for him. He’d held his father’s death locked away, never talking about it. The pain from the loss of his father and the difficult relationship they’d had continued to burn bright in his chest. Anger and hurt had raged deep inside him for so long he’d forgotten how to live without them. If only the old bear hadn’t been so insistent on going to face the enemy alone. If only he’d listened to Ky and waited for some enforcers. But no, he’d taken it upon himself to face the hunters and the rival clan. He’d ended up dead.

With every step they took closer to the river, he pulled her closer to his side. Until she was held by him in a one arm hug.

“So why did your sister decide to find you a date?” her voice broke the quiet walk.

He’d known it was coming. How to explain that Jess was tired of hearing about what was wrong with every female that wanted to have a relationship with him? He’d been okay with dinner and sex in most cases, but long-lasting? Not even as a joke. She’d given him grief over his lack of trying to find a woman to bear his cubs and help with the clan.

“She feels it’s time I made a commitment to someone and stuck with her.”

She stopped in her tracks.

He glanced at her, noticing the frown lines and curious stare. “What do you think? I mean, what she feels is great and all, but she’s not the one that’s going to be in a relationship, you are.”

He took a step toward her, stopping right in front of her. She glanced up, not breaking their gaze. “What does Ky want?”

Ky. He wanted Nita. Had wanted her for so long he’d refused to give it too much thought for fear of how it would look that a grown man had been wanting the same woman for almost seventeen years. He’d pretty much erased the word relationship out of his brain because there was no Nita in his life.

“I agree with her.” He lifted a hand and caressed her smooth cheek. “I want someone who wants to be in a relationship. I want to create something long-lasting with a woman who wants more than just sex.”

She visibly gulped. “Sex is good, though.”

He leaned closer, her scent digging deep, waking the raging lust he couldn’t seem to stop for her. Even the bear roared for a taste. “Sex is real good.”

Her pupils dilated as she glanced at his mouth. “Sex with a person you’re attracted to is probably better.”

“True. Someone who can make your blood run hot and give you all sorts of dirty thoughts.”

She inhaled sharply and met his gaze. “How dirty is dirty?”

He moved closer still, until he was but a few millimeters away from her lips. “Oh, dirty. So dirty you’ll never be clean again.”

She gasped. “I think I want to meet that someone.”

“You already have, beautiful.” He pulled her into his arms and meshed their lips in a kiss so hot he couldn’t stop the roar at the back of his throat. The bear wanted in on the action too.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and clung tight to him. He pushed her back against a large tree. Her soft body rubbed over his in mind-blowing caresses. He slid his hands up from her waist, to cup her breasts. Fuck, he’d been dying to touch them. Those tops she wore that played peekaboo and drove him insane for the past hours were killers. Grabbing handfuls of her large tits, he cupped her and squeezed. Jesus-fucking-hell she was hot. Those sexy moaning sounds she made as he slid his thumbs over her hard little nipples turned his cock steel hard.

If that weren’t painful enough, she raked her nails on the back of his neck, digging them deep. The stinging added another dimension to the arousal raging in his blood. Rational thought fled his brain. His sole focus became those moans, those whimpers in their kiss. The way she curled her tongue over his in a way no woman ever had before. He rocked his pelvis into her belly. How he wanted inside her. Fucking her. Feeling her pussy clench around him.

“Chief? You guys okay?” Liam called from down the path.

“Fucking hell!” He huffed. “Yes, we’re fine. We’ll be there in a sec.” He glanced into Nita’s smiling eyes.

“Looks like we need to find a better time for the chemistry quiz portion of our date.”

“There is no quiz. We both know where this is going.” He knew he pushed it laying it out right like that, but fuck it all, he was hard and he wouldn’t be getting any relief anytime soon.

“You’re right.” She slid her hands from around his neck, slowly down his chest, stopping at his abs. “We both know where this is going. The question is, your bed or mine?”

Hell yes!

He grinned. “Who says we’ll make it to the bed?”