the man waiting patiently and quietly for what she wanted to say. It felt incredibly odd – he could anticipate her every step and every word, being much more mindful of her than she could have imagined. Her shoulders dropped and she relaxed under his soft gaze, the intensity between them warping into something softer, something safer.
“What were you doing there?” she asked, her voice a bit raspy.
Christian’s eyebrows shot up and he smirked. The slight stubble on his chin made him look a bit older than he was and that musky, masculine scent of his made her head spin pleasantly.
“At the cliff, you mean? Well, I felt that you were in trouble.” He pursed his lips and she tilted her head a bit, staring at him with wide-eyed wonder.
“You…felt it?”
Christian nodded, one of his big palms coiling around Trish’s delicate fingers. His warmth made her heart beat faster and where he touched her, she felt sparks flying immediately. Her core tightened and she found herself more aroused than she could have ever expected, having known him for such a short amount of time. But, he was no ordinary man. The werebear had found a woman for himself, the perfect one, and the bond between them was impossible to ignore. It would need time to blossom and harden, but the tendrils were there and had wrapped around both of them tightly.
“Yes. I felt it. It was a sharp pain in my chest, like something was threatening to rip my heart out. I knew right away where you were and that you were in danger. I couldn’t let anything happen to you.” Christian smiled, raising his fingers to her face and tucking one of the blonde locks of hair behind her ear. The way his fingertips razed across her skin made her spine tingle. If any other man had been saying the things he was, she wouldn’t have believed them. Trish would have been more than sure that they were being ridiculous and trying to sweeten her up for their own dirty plans, but Christian was not like that. She wasn’t sure why she knew that, but she just did. She had felt his presence before she had seen him at the cliff, so why couldn’t he have felt it even stronger, considering the power his bear must have held?
“Oh,” she murmured, sinking into his eyes. He made her lose all control over herself. All she wanted was to curl up in his wide lap and kiss him deeply. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears and his words just made her flood with warmth and need. Trish almost didn’t recognize herself, but she couldn’t let the moment pass. The perfect man had shown up, a picture of chivalry and masculinity, and she couldn’t care less that he was a bear. Or, well, it just made things better. Surprising herself more than she did him, Trish leant forward and her lips touched his gently.
Christian returned the kiss, first softly and carefully, but the passion compelling them both onward. His hands slid around her and he pulled her in his lap, her curvy form melding against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled back from the kiss for a moment, her head spinning and a shudder running through her. Trish felt like she should have been mortified by what she was doing, but she couldn’t find an ounce of regret in herself. He tasted delicious and being surrounded by his strength and calmness seemed to wipe away all her worries.
“I’m sorry, I-“ she began, wanting to apologize for her straightforwardness, but the man just shushed her with a finger on her lips.
“Don’t be. I feel the same way. It’s right.”
Trish smiled brightly and dove in for another kiss, claiming his mouth before he could take hers. As coy and careful as she usually was, apparently there was a bit of a beast hidden inside her gentle frame as well. It just needed a big, strong and kind werebear to light the flame.
CHAPTER FOUR
Their lips mashed together, tongues finding each other’s mouths and exploring them with the kind of hunger that only