Our souls are bonding. They’re melding together.
And nothing is ever going to be the same again.
My grizzly starts thrashing around inside, hating that I’m keeping him confined. I try to ignore him and put all of my focus on my girl, but it’s hard when he starts trying to claw his way out.
I want to talk to her. To tell her that I love her. That I need her. That she’s mine.
But I’m out of practice. I’m afraid I won’t find the right words.
Her eyes dart down to my exposed cock and she catches herself.
“I—” she says and then she spins around and takes off running.
All I can do is watch her go with my heart pounding in my chest. The longing to be near her becomes paralyzing. This is all too much. Too many emotions. Too much need.
My sensations have been muted for so long and now they’re in overdrive, and it’s all so overwhelming. I don’t know what to do.
But as usual, my feral bear takes the decision away from me. With a vicious roar, he yanks me back inside as he powers his way out.
I try to fight him, but there’s no use. He overpowers me as usual.
And I sink back down inside of him.
Only this time, it feels like pure torture knowing she’s out there and I might never see her again.
My bear lets out a frustrated huff of breath and returns to the forest.
And I return to living in hell.
Chapter Three
Courtney
“Come on, class!” I holler as the bus pulls onto the ranch. “Time to go!”
The kids are all grumbling as they head to the bus. They had so much fun that they don’t want to leave.
“Thank you so much for coming,” Jane says as she stuffs a basketful of fresh vegetables into my arms. “And again, we’re so sorry for…”
She trails off as she glances at the forest.
“We really hope that poor Gavin wasn’t traumatized,” Zoe jumps in.
“Or you,” Jane adds.
I glance over at Gavin who is telling the story to anyone who will listen. “He was this big!” he says as he raises his hands in the air. “And he went roaaarrrr!”
Sarah’s nose is all scrunched up. I don’t think she’s buying the story. Hopefully, his parents won’t either.
“I’m just glad no one was hurt.” My legs are still a little shaky. I think I need a big glass of wine to calm my nerves. “But, who is it?”
Jane and Zoe glance at each other. “That’s Adrian,” Zoe finally says. “He’s a grizzly bear shifter.”
“I got that,” I say. “But what’s the matter with him? Does he live in those woods?”
Jane nods with a sad look on her face. “Some bears are a little too much for their humans to handle, but Adrian’s bear is on another level. He’s completely feral.”
“Feral?”
She nods. “He’s not good around people, so we let him live in the woods. He’s happy in there.”
Happy? He didn’t look happy to me. He looks tormented.
“I trust that we can rely on your discretion?” Zoe asks with her eyebrows raised.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I promise. “And I don’t think anyone is going to believe Gavin, so…”
“Thank you,” Jane says as she dumps a few more vegetables into my basket. “You guys are welcome back any time.”
The school or me?
My eyes keep darting longingly to the forest as they help me herd the kids back into the bus. I can feel eyes on me, possessively watching me, and it’s giving me tingles all over.
A part of me wants to head back there and talk to him. To see him. To touch him.
I’m being drawn to those dark woods so much that I take a few steps before stopping myself.
Get yourself together.
I’m responsible for a class of kids. I can’t go gallivanting into the forest to talk to the strange naked man.
Even if he was stunningly gorgeous.
I take a deep breath as I remember how he looked. His body was pure carved muscle without an ounce of body fat. Big round shoulders and arms that were pure eye candy. His face was pure beauty—a strong nose, sexy lips, intense brown eyes that were staring at me like no one ever has before.
Heat starts flowing between my legs as I picture the sight of his long thick cock hanging between his muscular thighs. My mouth begins to water as I imagine what it would feel like.
Okkkaaaay, that’s enough.
These thoughts are not appropriate for a kindergarten field trip.
I turn around and head back to the bus, wishing I knew more about this Adrian guy. I want to know everything.
“I was pretty brave, wasn’t I?” Gavin says as he walks with me to the bus.
“You sure were,” I tell him. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t saved me.”
He puffs out his chest and steps onto the bus with his chin in the air.
I take one last glance at the forest, hoping to see him but seeing nothing, before stepping onto the bus to leave.
But every part of me knows one thing…
I’ll definitely be coming back.
It’s a restless night with my hand buried between my legs and the sweaty sheets twisted around me. My back arches as I come hard against my palm.
Adrian is on my mind. I can’t stop thinking and fantasizing about him. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I don’t understand why I’m acting like this.
I drop back onto the mattress, breathing heavily as the warmth flows through me.
But that usual satisfied feeling I get whenever I touch myself is just not there.
I’m more frustrated than fulfilled.
An edgy feeling has taken over, like I can’t sit still. I might not be able to rest until I see that man again.
I try to close my eyes and fall asleep, but that’s hopeless. I feel like I just drank a pot of coffee. My nerves are on edge. My adrenaline pumping.
I keep wondering what he’s doing right now. If he’s in his bear or his human form. If he’s sleeping in the dirt or in some kind of bed. If he’s thinking of me…
“Oh, crap,” I mutter as I get out of bed and throw my housecoat on. I around pace my dark apartment and look outside at the sleeping town. I live alone on the outskirts of Blackcloud Point in a tiny three and a half.
I want to go see him, but that would be stupid. It would be reckless.
And it would be dangerous.
But still… I don’t know if I’ll be able to go on if I don’t.
I spot my sweater hanging on a chair in the kitchen and before I know it, I’m slipping it on and grabbing my keys. I throw my yoga pants on and rush out the door.
I know it’s a bad idea, but I can’t stop smiling. Just the thought of seeing him again is making me all giddy—even though it might result in me being eaten by a vicious grizzly bear.
It’s past midnight and the dark streets look abandoned. There’s not much going on in this small Montana town at night, so I have the roads to myself as I head toward the Bowen ranch.
The moment I got home after work, I rushed to my computer and read up everything I could about shifters.
My heart was pumping when I was reading about what happens when they find their mates—the intensity, the attraction, the fire, the need. It clicked. Everything I read felt like everything I had experienced.