Page 52 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
“I never thought I’d find you,” Stanley whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“I wasn’t even looking,” June admitted, smiling against his skin. “But here we are.”
“Here we are,” he echoed, his arms tightening around her.
June nestled closer to Stanley, her body still tingling with aftershocks of pleasure. The weight of his arm across her waist felt right, as though it had always belonged there.
But they hadn’t always belonged together. She knew little about the mating bond and what exactly it meant. Which leftquestions that needed to be asked before she gave in to the mating bond completely. Not just for her sake, but for Oli’s.
“And what comes next?” she asked, her voice soft in the quiet room.
Stanley’s fingers traced lazy circles on her hip. “Whatever you want.”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “What about what you want?”
His arm tightened around her, pulling her closer against his chest. “I already have everything I want.”
June chuckled and pressed herself against him, feeling the steady thump of his heart against her back. “You say the sweetest things.”
He lifted his head and kissed her, his lips gentle at first, then more insistent. The embers of desire flared to life once more. His hand moved to her breast, thumb teasing her nipple until it hardened beneath his touch. June moaned softly against his mouth, her hand sliding down between them to curl her fingers around his hardness, already growing firm again.
However, the clock on the nightstand caught her eye, and she pulled away with a reluctant sigh.
“I have to get home before Oli wakes up,” she said, regret coloring her voice. “And I really should get some sleep.” Even though the last thing she wanted to do was get out of Stanley’s bed.
“I understand,” Stanley said, his voice a low rumble against her ear.
Of course he does,she thought. This man, who had waited so patiently for her, who had put her son’s needs before his own desires, would never make her choose.
Stanley smiled at her, his hand still resting on her breast, unwilling to break contact. June felt the heat of his palm against her skin, and her resolve wavered. She sighed and took his hand, guiding it slowly down her body, past her stomach to rest between her thighs.
“But we still have a few minutes,” she whispered.
Stanley raised himself up on one elbow, his eyes darkening with desire as he looked down at her. “You would be astonished at what a shifter can do with a few minutes with his mate.”
A shiver ran down her spine at the possessive rumble in his voice. “Show me,” she whispered.
And he did.
Chapter Seventeen – Stanley
The scent of June still lingered on his sheets as Stanley woke the next morning. She’d slipped away long before dawn, leaving nothing but the indent of her head on the pillow and the ghost of her kiss on his lips. He understood. Oli would be waking soon, and June needed to be there—his mate was a mother first. That thought only deepened his love for her.
Stanley rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. How he wished she were still here in his arms. What he wouldn’t give to wake up beside her and make love to her before the day started.
His bear rumbled contentedly inside him.Soon,he murmured.She is ours now, and she knows it.
“Ours,” Stanley whispered to the empty room, testing the word on his tongue. It felt right. Perfect.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and padded to the window, drawing in a deep breath of mountain air. The world outside seemed sharper somehow, more vivid, the green of the pines more intense, the blue of the sky deeper. As if the universe had tilted just slightly and finally locked into its proper alignment.
But although so much had changed, one thing remained the same. He had animals to feed, and his morning chores called to him. Stanley pulled on jeans and a worn flannel shirt before heading downstairs to be greeted with a, “Morning, Stanley,” from Percy the parrot, and excessive tail wagging from his three happy dogs. As for the cats, Miam, a half-Siamese, curled around his legs, while telling Stanley in no uncertain terms that coffeewould have to wait because he needed his breakfast, while Uma, a fluffy tabby cat, sat on the windowsill licking her paws in her usual nonplussed way.
After feeding his indoor pets, Stanley went outside with the dogs close at his heels. The goats spotted him immediately, trotting over with expectant bleats. They nudged at his pockets, searching for treats as they did every morning.
“Yeah, yeah, I know what you want,” he chuckled, scratching behind Daisy’s ears as she pushed her head against his palm.
The hens clucked softly as he scattered feed across their run. Every interaction felt charged with new meaning, as if the animals sensed the change in him. Stanley moved through his routine with a lightness he hadn’t felt in years—maybe ever.
