Page 4 of My Forever Bear

What? Are you going to clue me in here, man?

But then it hits me, too–the sweet, intoxicating scent of fresh cut lilacs.

Weird.Lilacs don’t grow out this far in the woods. And something about this scent has the fur on the back of my neck standing up. My heart rate picks up and my breathing becomes erratic.

It’s her.

My mate.

My bear takes off along the creek, following the heady scent.

Are you sure it’s her?

My bear growls his frustration and keeps running. We've been at this for hours and there isn’t any sign of her.Maybe she isn’t here; maybe you caught a stale scent.

He heaves a low growl and keeps running. If she is out here, we need to find her soon. Nightfall is fast approaching and the temps get close to freezing overnight. If she’s human, she won’t be able to survive a night in the cold.

Stopping dead in his tracks, he takes one last sniff. Lilacs.

His head whips to the left. In his periphery, a woman is running down the path like her ass is on fire.

My bear barrels out of the trees toward our mate. She must hear us because she lets out a shriek and darts off the trail, into the trees.

With her scent filling his nose, my bear will never lose her. Especially now that he knows she’sours.He’s hot on her heels when she turns toward us. Her whole body trembles as she backs herself against the nearest tree. Startling blue eyes are open wide as my bear approaches her.

I fight my bear to let me have control, but he moans and pushes my consciousness back from the surface. He bares his teeth and lets out a low rumble. The poor girl shakes uncontrollably as she whimpers and slams her eyes shut.

Her chest rises and falls rapidly, the smooth column of her neck is exposed when she drops her head to the side. Her pulse flutters erratically under the skin.Shit! You’re scaring her, you idiot. Let me talk to her.Completely ignoring me, he takes another step toward her. He runs his nose along the side of her neck, scenting her once more.Lilacs.

The bear’s wet tongue runs up the side of my neck. I tremble at the feeling. Its cold black nose nuzzles just under my ear, the bear drags in a large lungful of air.

What the fuck?

Squeezing my eyes shut once more, I try to calm my rapid breathing. Maybe if I stand perfectly still, the bear will get bored and leave me alone.

Suddenly, the heat from the bear is gone. Instead, loud popping and the sound of bones cracking fills the air, followed by a low masculine grunt.

Sucking in a giant breath, I peel my eyes open one at a time to find amanstanding in front of me.

Not just any man–a verymassive, very attractive, verynakedman. He towers over my five-foot-seven frame. Muscles ripple in his chest and arms as he fists his hands at his sides. He’s seriously jacked. His shoulders probably take up the whole doorway when he walks through. Thick slabs of abs line his stomach. Sexy V lines on his hips draw my eyes down, causing my cheeks to heat.Damn.

A throat clearing has my eyes darting up to his face before I can catch a glimpse ofallof him. Dark, smoldering eyes meet mine. His features are the epitome of masculine. Smooth bronze skin with a hint of wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He either smiles a lot or spends a fair amount of time outside. He has a strong brow and a straight nose. A thick coating of stubble lines his jaw and surrounds full, kissable lips.

My mind instantly conjures up images of what it would be like to feel those lips on mine. My skin flushes with embarrassment. I bet I look as red as a tomato; I’ve always been quick to blush.

Snap out of it!

I’d been so busy ogling this beast of a man that I hadn’t noticed he had taken several steps toward me. Raising those massive arms up, his palms land on the tree behind me, caging me between two bulging biceps.

He's so close, my panting breath coasts across his face. Fiery whiskey-brown eyes sear into my skin.

“Mate.” His deep, gravelly voice hangs in the air. The tone causes me to whimper and clench my thighs together.

The adrenaline in my system starts to plummet, blood whooshing through my ears. Flickers of light flash in the periphery of my visual field. My body wobbles as the stranger tilts his head, his dark brows pulling into a furrow. Bracing my back against the tree, the world spins.

“Y-you were just a…” The edges of my vision dance with black spots, then everything goes dark.

Fuck.

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