Page 76 of Dream Weaver

I laughed, but a second later, she tensed. “Wait. Stop.”

I froze, terrified she would call this to a halt.

She put her face in her hands, then jerked up again. “I take that back. Bad joke. I see so much in you. More than I deserve. You’re kind and sweet and patient. You know when to help and when to back off. You listen — you really listen — and you don’t play games with my heart.”

All that came out in a torrent, and I stared, not sure how to respond.

Her eyes shone with near-tears. “But me…I’m not nice. I say bad things. Mean things, sometimes. I’m quick to judge, and I don’t judge well.”

I took her hands because, damn. Wasn’t she being a little hard on herself?

“I don’t know,” I whispered, going for a joke. “I think you’re judging pretty well right now.”

She flashed a thin smile, then hid her face against my shoulder. “First time in my life, maybe.”

I hugged her tightly. “I doubt that. And as for deserving… You deserve as much happiness as anyone. More, maybe, for all you have to deal with.” Then I winced. Why highlight the hard parts of her life? So I quickly added, “Like the world’s worst apprentice. A bear, no less.”

“Nicest bear I know,” she whispered, hugging back.

I was probably the only bear she knew, but hey. I would take what I could get.

Gradually, my pounding pulse calmed, and hers did too. A minute later, she raised her head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to ruin this. Can we maybe…um…move on?”

Relief washed over me. Holding her was great, but loving her was even better.

“Absolutely. I think we were right…about…here,” I said, easing my lips over hers.

She opened her mouth under mine, and just like that, I was on fire again. The best kind of fire.

“Actually, I think you were more like here…” She guided my hand back to her breast.

“And you were about here…” I tugged her hand to my jeans.

The metal shop was stiller than ever, while the night pulsed with life. Cars passed on the main road, but the building buffered the sound, pushing the rest of Sedona far, far away. The night was chilly, but my body blazed with need.

We belong together. Forever,my bear roared, high on the scent of desire.

“Cooper…” she whispered, pressing her hips against mine.

Well, she tried, but with the height difference…

I hoisted her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist.

“Perfect.” She surged against my body.

It was perfect, because with the wall at her back, I could press in close and hard. Closer…

Her breaths came faster and faster, and she changed the angle of her legs.

It was heaven, but it was hell, because we were close but still fully clothed.

Abby fumbled with my shirt, then growled in frustration and dropped her legs to the floor.

“Call it a technical time-out,” she murmured apologetically while shoving down my jeans.

I went for hers, but she wrapped her fingers around me first, and my brain short-circuited. I stuck a hand against the wall to fight the sharp bite of need.

She chuckled. “Don’t forget to breathe.”

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