Page 24 of Bearnapped at the Altar

She was scared and confused. That’s all this was. I was taking advantage of her…

No, it isn’t, and you know it, my bear growled loudly enough to make Tegan jump back. Tell her how you feel. This woman is ready to believe in big, crazy love. She doesn’t need a fucking explanation. Don’t fuck this up for her. Or us.

“You didn’t let me finish.” My bear had been aggressive since we met Tegan, but he’d never steered me wrong. “I’m feeling that pull again. But it’s not exactly the same. You’re not Renee. You’re Tegan. You’re gorgeous, exciting, and brave, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure nothing happens to you. Because…” I chuckled. “My bear says not to fuck this up.”

“Oh.” She softened. The silence was thick between us. “I think what your bear is trying to tell you is stop thinking so much about what you should do and do what feels right.”

“Like this?” I leaned in and kissed her again. This time was even more charged than the last. There was no surprise, no wondering if this was the wrong thing, just pure need.

More than that. Hunger.

We’d both refused to admit that we’d been starving.

Tegan leaned back on the mattress, and I was ready to follow her anywhere. My hand slid along her thigh, and she tightened her grip on my shoulders as I made the journey up her body, under her sweatshirt. She sighed against my lips when my hand stopped on her ribcage.

Had I gone too far? Abso-fucking-lutely. Even if we’d confessed these feelings for each other, she was still a client. But at the same time, it wasn’t far enough. I wanted her. I wanted to know what noises she’d make when I touched every inch of her. When I made her body lose control.

She broke the kiss first. “This might not need to be said, but you don’t have to sleep on the floor tonight.”

“It did need to be said.” Was I really gonna do this? Spend the night with another woman? Forty-eight hours ago, I would’ve sworn I’d never have another in my bed. But Tegan changed everything. “But while I was shopping, I did get an air mattress?—”

“You’re adorable. And very concerned with rules. Which means it’s gonna be really fun when you break every single one of them.”

Chapter

Eleven

Tegan

All I could see of Sawtooth Forest were the mountains and the sky from my window in this little cabin. The sun was setting, leaving streaks of periwinkle and fire in its wake. It cast shadows on Barrett’s face as he lay beside me, making the bear shifter look even more stern and serious than usual.

And I’d be lying if I didn’t say sexy.

My lady parts were throbbing, my arousal threatening to soak through my panties, and here I was, wondering if I’d given into an extreme case of Stockholm syndrome. Not to mention the guilt that this man was obviously still mourning his mate.

But I meant what I said. Maybe it was because we were in this tiny cabin, and I’d hired him to solve my problems, but he made me feel safe. Seen.

Sweet moon, he had no idea how much I needed that. I had no idea how much I’d needed it. I’d balled up my feelings like wadded up paper and had crushed them to make myself forget about them.

This man had given me my life back. Sure, I was still in captivity, with a threat so imminent a bodyguard refused to leave my side, but I was finally free of Gideon Silverclaw.

When I chuckled, Barrett asked, “What’s funny?”

“I was just thinking that I had this whole new life, but according to my security specialist, that new life is confined to this room.” I ran my finger lightly over his beard. It was so surprisingly soft. “Definitely not in Red Heaven.”

“No, not Red Heaven. But you will get to leave the cabin.” He couldn’t keep his hands off me either. His fingers were still under my sweatshirt, stroking my stomach.

Normally, this would make me super self-conscious. Plenty of those dudes from dating sites had told me that area needed work. But Barrett made me feel beautiful.

“Soon?” Just because the answer was no wouldn’t make me stop asking.

“Maybe.”

“Will we be headed to Sawtooth Sweets? I could definitely go for some of those cupcakes.”

“Not what I had in mind, but I’ll put it on the list.” He laughed. I loved the way the skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Are you still friendly with anyone at Wild Associates?”

“A couple of people. If they don’t think I’ve ghosted them. I signed an NDA when I went on the show, and wasn’t allowed to tell them what was going on.”

---