Page 22 of Bear In Mind

Dropping my hand, I bit my lip.

“He won’t hurt you.We would never hurt you.”With one jerk, he pulled me back down, beneath him.“He just wants to bite you so that no other bear can steal his honey.”He pressed a kiss to my collarbone.“And I want to claim you for the same reason.I never want to lose you.”

Turning my head a bit, I gave him better access as he worked his lips upwards.“What if I don’t want that?”

For one moment, he hesitated, his lips pausing.“Claiming you only keeps you from being with another shifter, and, as much as I want you, I would never stop you from walking away.I wouldn’t let you go without a fight, but I would eventually let you go.”

“Eventually?”I felt my brows furrow, a smirk curling my lips.

He met my gaze, issuing a single nod.“Eventually.”

“What if you change your mind?”I hadn’t meant to ask the question; it just slipped out.

Halting, he frowned.“Honey, maybe I didn’t explain it well enough, but, once I claim you, there is no going back for me.You can walk away, but I never can.”

Biting the inside of my mouth, I stared at him, uncertainty causing me to push.“I’m not asking if you can walk away.I’m asking what happens if you decide that you’re not attracted to me anymore.What if I gain more weight or get into a car accident?What if something changes that makes you not want me anymore?”

His features turned down further, the crinkle in his brows increasing.“I see.”He sat back on his knees.“And this is what you think?That forever is conditional on neither of us changing?”

I shrugged my shoulders.“Not you.”I worked my lower lip as I sat up, crossing my legs Indian style.

“Fuck.”He expelled a heavy breath, shaking his head in dismay.“Honey, that’s not how it works.Do you believe in God, or a higher being?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “Yes.”

“Do you think He’s all knowing and all powerful?”

Pursing my lips, I nodded again.“Yes.”

Leaning into me a bit, he met my stare.“Then you believe He doesn’t make mistakes.”It was a statement.

Yet again, I agreed with a dip of my head.

“We believe the same.”He seemed to search for the right words.“Shifters are led by instincts, but, when we find our mate, it’s completely different.It’s more than instinct.Every inch of me reacts to you.I’m drawn to you in an undeniable way.It’s a hell of a lot more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced, and it’s our Creator’s way of letting us know who He made for us.”He gathered my hand in his.“He doesn’t make mistakes.I will only ever respond this way to you.And when you have perfection, why on Earth would you want to walk away?I will never feel this way with another woman.To walk away would be to settle for second best.”

He gripped my chin.“You’re it for me, Bryn.I will never want another woman more than I want you.And no other woman will ever be able to lure me away from you whether you weigh four hundred pounds or two hundred.I love you.Yes, it’s partly because I know you were designed for me.And while it would be tough as hell to walk away from you, I know shifters who have met their mate and done just that.You were forced upon me, as you said, but, honey, I choose who I claim and who I don’t claim.My bear and I are both choosing you of our own free will.Are we influenced by the knowledge that you’re who He deems as our perfect match?Yes.But we didn’t decide based on that.It was entirely based on you, on the woman I know you to be.”A wicked gleam appeared in his eyes and a mischievous grin lifted his lips as he leaned ever closer.“And your sweet curves.I want to taste every single inch of you again and again.”He captured my lips, effectively silencing any reply I could have mustered.

My heart warmed.His words were perfection.They were exactly what I needed to hear; yet I knew he wasn’t feeding me a load of crap.Sincerity was pronounced in every syllable.And, the truth was, he had no reason to lie.

Slowly, he laid me back, pushing his way between my thighs.His hands roamed my abundance, grabbing at every swerve and curve with equal fervor.He didn’t shrink back when my excess spilled beyond a handful.Rather, he seemed to become more excited, more vested in feeling up the rest of me.

It’d been a long time since a man handled my full figure, and it’d been even longer since one had seen it without clothes.

I shrieked as he shredded my tank, shoving it away with my sweater.“Hey!”

His breath caught as he broke from my lips to take me in.“God, you’re beautiful.”He kissed a trail over my plush stomach and straight up the center of my chest.He hooked his finger around the front center of my bra.

“Don’t you dare.”I cut my eyes at him.

“Even if I promise to replace it?”A single brow rose; his finger stayed around the fabric.

“Even if you promise to replace it.”I wasn’t walking out of his house without a bra, and I wasn’t explaining to my best friend why I needed her to bring me a new one.

He grunted.The sound was cute, a mini tantrum over having to take an extra few seconds to remove the garment properly.Darren had never wanted to see me that bad.In fact, a lot of times, we stayed partially dressed.

But with Bear, I wanted to be skin to skin.I wanted to hold him and feel his strength as he moved over me.

Reclaiming my lips, he slid his hands behind my back and set to removing my bra.He snarled in frustration when he couldn’t get the last hook.

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