I had a feeling he liked it just as much as I did.

The heat was the first thing I felt. His big hand reached around me, closing on my stomach. He pressed me against my body, throwing my balance off, which made him pull me against him even tighter.

“You bring out something in me, Hannah,” he growled in my ear. “Don’t know if I can explain it.”

He was so warm, so strong, and he was getting hard against my back. I managed to turn around, grasping fistfuls of fur. “Why don’t you show me?”

thirty-seven

Lars

“Lars,” Hannah whispered as I ran my hand up her thigh. We were in the back ofThe Mating Gamevan, and I could barely keep my hands off her.

I had no idea what came over me, but watching her skate unlocked something deep inside me. Some primitive and wild.

Silence was thick, and it took all the self-control I had to not to ravish her. Something about seeing her on those wheels, like it was an invitation to chase, made me feel more like the beast I was than I had in a long time. I’d feared that Leif had been all too right in the short time he was here. That I was becoming too soft. Too human—not that it was bad to be human. The ability to transform had opened doors for me that I would’ve never been able to access in my natural form. It didn’t mean I was turning my back on who I was. It meant that I was becoming so much more.

And I couldn’t wait to explore every bit of it with this beautiful woman who’d hooked her legs over mine. Whose blue eyes glowed with mischief and desire in the moonlight.

Hell, I couldn’t wait to explore every bit of this woman.

“Do you think the two of you can manage a safe-for-TV kiss near the mountain before we let you go inside for the night?” Bibi asked as we got closer to my home.

Hannah’s lips curled into a smile, and she leaned in closer. That sweet citrus and vanilla scent had only been intensified while she skated. “We could give it a try.”

“You’re a wicked woman.”

“Excellent. We’ll be back in the van before you know it,” Bibi said.

Bjorn pulled into the nearest parking area. The crew climbed out, and it took everything I had to be patient. If it weren’t for Bibi, I wouldn’t be spending the night with Hannah. The least I could do was give her the on-camera kiss.

Then Hannah was mine for the rest of the night.

“We’re ready in three, two…” Bibi didn’t have a chance to get the last word out before my lips were on Hannah’s. I loved the way she grabbed fistfuls of my fur, pulling it, bringing me closer to her like she couldn’t get enough of me, either. Her mouth was so soft, so hungry, so teasing, and yet so sure.

“We’ve got more than enough. Not that you have to stop, of course.” Bibi’s voice sounded like it was happening in a dream.

Hannah shrieked when I lifted her off her feet.

“That was kinda hot.”

“Which part? Because I was hoping all of it was hot.”

“Aren’t you sassy now?” She pushed playfully against my chest. “The way you just picked me up and walked away without saying a word. Total caveman move. In real life, I’d probably hate it—”

“This isn’t real life for you?”

“Of course it is. I mean, I’m a strong woman and I can do things for myself. But it’s nice not to have to. And I wonder if this was what it was like the day that you rescued me.”

I shook my head. “You were definitely quieter.”

“Did you like that?”

“No. I was terrified I’d lose you. And I didn’t want to think about how good it felt to hold you, because I had no idea if I could actually make you mine. But I had to try.”

“Is that the only reason you saved me that day?”

“No, but it’s probably the reason I knew that I had to.”