Page 57 of Hero Mine

He swallowed hard, cupping her face in his hands. “I’m right here, Bug.” He kissed her again, slow and deep, taking his time. This wasn’t just about need. It wasn’t just about attraction. It was about trust, about the way she was letting herself feel again, how she wasn’t letting fear hold her back.

Joy’s hands moved to the hem of his shirt, tugging upward. “Off,” she murmured against his lips.

Bear hesitated, his hands covering hers. “Yours first,” he said, voice husky as he reached for the hem of her sweater instead.

He wasn’t ready for her to see. Not yet. Not with the way the light from the fire might illuminate the worst of his scars. He silently thanked the dimness of the cabin, knowing the shadows would hide what he wasn’t prepared to reveal.

Joy didn’t push, just smiled and lifted her arms, allowing him to pull the soft material up and over her head. Her skin glowed in the firelight, pale and perfect, a constellation of freckles scattered across her shoulders.

The simple cotton bra she wore did little to hide the fullness of her breasts or the way her nipples had hardened into tight peaks beneath the fabric. Bear groaned at the sight, his hands moving to span her waist, thumbs brushing against the undersides of her breasts.

“So perfect,” he murmured, lowering his head to press a kiss to the valley between her breasts.

Joy’s fingers threaded through his hair, holding him close as his mouth explored her skin. When he reached behind her to unfasten her bra, she arched to give him better access, and the garment fell away, revealing her completely to his gaze.

Bear took a moment to just look at her, to absorb the sight of Joy Davis, half naked and wanting in his bed. A sight he’d imagined more times than he could count, but reality was so much better than fantasy.

“You’re staring again,” she said, but her voice held no self-consciousness, only a teasing warmth.

“Can’t help it.” His own voice was rough with emotion. “Been waiting a long time to see you like this.”

Her lips curved into a smile that was both shy and knowing. “Then touch me. I’ve been waiting too.”

He definitely didn’t need more encouragement than that. He cupped her breasts, thumbs brushing over the sensitive peaks, drawing a gasp from her lips. He lowered his head, replacing one thumb with his mouth, and the sound Joy made went straight through him, settling like fire in his veins.

He took his time, alternating between gentle suction and teasing flicks of his tongue, learning what made her gasp, what made her arch into his touch, what made her fingers tighten in his hair.

“Bear,” she moaned, her voice breathy and desperate, and he knew exactly what she needed.

His hands moved to the waistband of her jeans, deftly unfastening the button and drawing down the zipper. Joy lifted her hips, helping him slide the denim down her legs. The sight of her in nothing but a pair of simple cotton panties nearly undid him.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, sliding his hands up her bare legs, from ankle to knee to thigh, feeling the softness of her skin, the subtle strength in her muscles.

The cabin had gotten even darker now, the fire having died down to embers that cast just enough light to see but not enough to reveal. Bear stood and stripped himself down. He wasn’t ready for her to see the scars—not tonight. Tonight was about her.

But also, he was pretty damned desperate to be inside her, so these clothes had to go.

“Come here,” she whispered, and Bear returned to the bed, his weight settling over her again, the feeling of her nearly bare body against his drawing groans from them both.

He kissed her deeply, hips nestled between her thighs, the thin cotton of her panties the only barrier between them. Joy arched against him, seeking friction, and he obliged, rolling his hips against hers in a slow, deliberate movement that had her gasping into his mouth.

He was going to be hearing that sound in his dreams for a long time.

He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties, and he looked into her eyes, seeking permission. At her nod, he slowly slid them down her legs, his breath catching as she was finally revealed to him completely.

“Perfect,” he whispered, settling between her thighs again, his hand sliding up her leg to the warm, wet center of her. “So perfect, Joy.”

A soft cry escaped her lips when his fingers found her heat, her eyes fluttering closed as pleasure washed over her features. Her hair fanned across the pillow as she writhed beneath his touch. Bear couldn’t look away from the sight of her—so vulnerable, so trusting—as his fingers explored, discovering every reaction, memorizing the rhythm that made her whisper his name like a prayer.

When he slid one finger inside her, then two, her eyes flew open, locking with his. The connection was electric, intimate. Everything he’d always wanted from her. He kept his gaze on hers as he curled his fingers, finding that spot inside her that made her cry out.

“Bear,” she gasped, her hands clutching at his shoulders, her body trembling beneath his. “Please. I need you. Inside me. Please.Now.”

He leaned over her, pressing his forehead to hers. “Protection?”

Joy nodded toward her bag on the floor. “Front pocket.”

Bear moved away to retrieve the condom, and he quickly sheathed himself before returning to her, settling once more between her thighs. He braced himself above her, looking into her eyes as he positioned himself at her entrance.

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