Page 63 of Mated to the Mountain Bear
“Come on.” I guide her to the couch, needing her away from the door and windows to satisfy my protective urges. “Sit down.”
She curls into the corner of the couch, which I consider to be her spot now, watching me with those perceptive green eyes. Zara knows there’s something more to what just happened.
“You’re cold.” I grab the thick wool blanket from the back of the couch and wrap it around her shoulders, making sure she’s completely covered.
“You don’t need to fuss,” she says softly, but she pulls the blanket tighter around herself. “But Ben, please tell me what’s going on.”
I pace in front of the fire, because the energy bubbling under my skin needs somewhere to go. The cabin suddenly feels too small, the walls, too thin to keep danger out.
“Ben.” Her voice is gentle, coaxing. “Come sit with me.”
When I turn, she’s holding out her hand, an invitation I want desperately to accept, but I can’t. Not when I know what’s coming. What needs to be done.
“I have to...” I gesture vaguely at nothing, then force myself to stop moving and really look at her. “There’s more to the story about why we all live up here alone.”
There’s another reason Beau knew she’d be safe with me, a reason that has nothing to do with isolation.
She tilts her head, considering me. “Now? Ben, I don’t care. You live on a mountain. There’s wildlife. I get that. But why was it trying to get in?”
My chest aches for her. She’s been through so much already, and I’m about to shatter her trust and turn her world upside down all over again.
“There’s more to it than that. My father was a dangerous man. I choose not to follow that path, but I share his… ability to inflict damage. I can, but I don’t.”
Zara says nothing, just eyes me warily as I move closer, drawn by the need to be near her, even as I dread what’s coming.
“It’s in our DNA. Much as I wish I weren’t like him, I am. And if I’m going to protect you, and get us through tonight, I need you to understand, because I’m going to have to turn into that other, darker side of me.”
She’s staring at me now. “It sounds like you’re confessing to being Batman.”
I groan. “Shit. I’m not good at explaining. Never have been.”
This is going to terrify her even more, but better now than in the darkness tonight when he returns. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be back.
“Ben, whatever it is…” She gives me a small smile, trusting me, even as I try to explain what I am, making this even harder to do. Because I know that after this, there’s a chance she’ll never look at me the same again, let alone let me kiss her. There will be no more coy looks or flirty smiles.
What she’s about to see might send her screaming down the mountain.
“So, I’m going to show you instead.” I have no idea what I’m doing, just that she needs to know. “Just... Don't be afraid, okay? I would never hurt you. Never.”
She looks uncertain now, the blanket clutched tighter around her shoulders.
“Okaaay.”
I can’t help myself. I cross to her in two strides and cup her face in my hands, needing to reassure us both, needing to steal one last moment where she still sees me as me.
Breathing her in, my nerves calm a little. Whatever happens, it’ll be worth it, because she’ll be safe.
“Mine,” I whisper against her soft skin and close my eyes then lean down and kiss her softly, an attempt to convey everything I can’t put into words but hope she feels.
When I pull back, her eyes are clouded with both arousal and confusion.
“Ben?” She reaches for me, but I retreat to the far side of the room and brace myself for her reaction.
“I need you to understand what you’re dealing with. Who I really am.”
She rises from the couch, letting the blanket fall, and walks toward me.
“I know who you are. I was kissing him earlier, remember?” Her voice has gone husky. “And I liked it. A lot.”
