Page 8 of Marked By The Filthy-Mouthed Grizzly
We both go deathly still.
It’s her. My mate. There’s no doubt in my mind.
My bear knows it too. He just watches in awe. We both do. She’s incredible.
It’s a beater of a car with dust on the hood and dents along the side, but she steps out like a queen descending from a chariot.
I nearly drop to my knees and bow, wanting to worship her properly.
She’s stunning.
Even more perfect than I could have ever dreamed up.
Those blue eyes… They grip me immediately and I know they’ll never let me go.
It pains me to tear my eyes off them, but I want to see the rest of her. She has the silkiest, softest-looking dark hair. It’s loose around her shoulders and dancing in the breeze. The movement is mesmerizing. It’s pulling me in. There’s nothing I want more than to sink my hands into it and pull her soft mouth to mine. Those lips… That mouth… I know she’s mine, but how do I get to the moment when I can kiss those lips whenever I want? How do I get fromthis—lurking on the side of my shop, mid-phase, looking and feeling like a monster—to the moment we’re like those couples inside, googling at each other and stopping every few steps to kiss? I desperately want to be there.
My eyes continue roaming down her sweet, perfect body. She has a large hoodie on that drapes over one bare shoulder, a black tank top on underneath. The sight of her skin makes me all shaky inside. I want to touch her. I want to taste her. I want to claim every inch of that beautiful girl.
She slams the car door closed and it shakes us out of our stupor.
Mine, my bear growls in my ear.
“Ours,” I whisper back.
He reluctantly agrees.
Now get back inside and let me handle this.
He takes one last look at her and then begrudgingly slinks back in, handing over control. My giant shoulders and swollen arms return to their normal size. My long sharp canines retract. My spine straightens and the long black claws retreat into my fingers.
I take a deep breath and glance down. I’m a mess—ripped clothes, coffee-stained jeans. She can’t see me like this. Not for the first time.
I hear the front door of the shop open and the bell ringing as I race to the back door. I head inside and grab the spare clothes I have tucked away in the back. I pull on some jeans, a different shirt, my black apron, and take a second to fix my hair and splash some water on my face.
My bear watches from within, all of that anger and bitterness gone. It feels like a tremendous weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I can breathe again.
I take a deep breath, knowing everything is about to change. Once I walk into the shop and make eye contact with my mate, nothing will ever be the same again.
I’m ready. I’m so fucking ready.
“I’ll be with you in a second,” Victoria says to her in a cheery voice.
“I got it,” I tell her as I walk into the room.
I can feel my sister’s concerned eyes on me, but I just ignore her, heading straight to my girl.
She’s even more magnificent up close. The cute little freckles dotting her cheeks and nose. The roundness of her jaw. The way she sucks in a little gasp as she sees me walking toward her, ready to change her life for the better.
Those gorgeous blue eyes are locked on me like she can’t quite believe what she’s seeing. That makes two of us.
She seems to have forgotten how to breathe as I walk up to her behind the counter.
My bear is on the edge of his seat, but it feels different than usual. More excitement than agitation. More optimistic than bitter.
Mate, he growls possessively.
That’s right, buddy, I say back to him.That’s our mate.
