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She looks down at my chest and swallows hard, probably wondering what it’s like to have a feral grizzly bear living inside you.
“You can’t live like this,” she says as her eyes start to water. It breaks my heart to see her tearing up, especially since it’s on my account.
“I have for a long time,” I tell her. “To be honest, it’s all I really remember.”
“But you don’t have to,” she says. “Not anymore. I’m here now. We can change it.”
“My mate has walked into my life. Everything has changed for me now. I’m not sure about my bear, though, and that’s the problem.”
She shifts her weight from one foot to the other as she watches me. I can tell her brain is turning. I wish I could peer inside to see what she’s thinking.
“Come and stay at my place tonight,” she finally says. “It’s nice and warm. I’ll get you something to eat. You can have a hot shower.”
I shake my head, immediately dismissing that idea. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
I sigh as I run my hand through my hair. “Because I would never put you in that kind of danger.”
“I’m not afraid of him,” she says defiantly. “I know he would never hurt me.”
“I appreciate it, but you don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I want to learn. I felt his intentions when I came in here and pet him. He’s not vicious with me.”
“What about your neighbors, though? Who’s going to stop him when your neighbor’s TV sends him into a vicious rampage?”
She exhales as she looks at me with sad eyes. “So, you’re just going to stay out here in the cold?”
I shrug. What can I say? “It’s what I’ve done all these years. Leaving is too dangerous. I don’t trust him around anyone.”
“Do you trust him around me?”
“I don’t even trust myself around you.”
“What do you mean?”
I take a deep breath as I stare at her beautiful face. Her lips are pulled into a straight line and her forehead is scrunched up. Even when she’s worried, she looks stunning.
“My feelings for you are… intense to say the least. If I was a weaker man, I’d tie you to a tree and never let you leave.”
Her lips soften as she looks at me. “It’s okay, Adrian. My feelings are pretty intense too.”
The sound of my name on her lips rocks me. It staggers me. It fills me with a comforting warmth unlike I’ve ever felt before.
“You know my name?”
“Jane and Zoe told me,” she says. “Do you want to know mine?”
“More than anything.”
“I’m Courtney Gibbs. I teach kindergarten at the school in town. That was my class that was here this afternoon.”
“And the kid? Is he okay?”
“He’s fine.”
“Not too traumatized?”
“Actually, he quite enjoyed telling the story to anyone who would listen. He felt like the bravest kid in the world.”
“You’re the brave one. You stepped right in front of my bear to protect him.”
“Yeah, well… I didn’t want to have to call his parents to tell them that he was eaten by a bear,” she says with a laugh.
“It’s no joke,” I tell her. “It’s amazing. You’re a real hero. Not many people would have done what you did.”
She starts to blush and the sight of pink in her cheeks sends a jolt straight to my cock. I try to push the dirty thoughts away so I don’t get hard and ruin the moment.
“Aren’t you cold?” she asks after a while.
“I don’t get cold,” I tell her. “But you look freezing.”
She raises her shoulders and shivers. “A little bit.”
“You should go.”
She steps back, looking hurt. “You want me to?”
“No!” I snap. “I just… It’s been so long since I’ve talked to another person. I don’t always find the right words.”
She steps toward me again. “That’s okay. I’m on your side, Adrian.”
I swallow hard as I wonder how I could get so lucky. This girl is a dream.
“I don’t want you staying out here in the cold dark woods for me. You deserve better than this.” I hold up my arms as I look around at the trees.
“I don’t mind it here,” she says as she steps close enough to touch. She reaches out and takes my hand. The feeling of her soft skin on mine makes my breath quicken. It makes my heart do flips in my chest. “As long as you’re here, it’s pretty nice.”
“Okay,” I say as I hold her hand, not knowing what else to do. “Maybe ten more minutes.”
“If you’re staying here all night,” she says defiantly. “Then so am I.”
“You want to sleep out here?” My mouth drops open in shock.
She nods. “I want to stay with you.”
I look around at my paltry home. I have nothing out here to offer a girl like her and yet, she wants to stay. She’s fucking incredible.
I do have a house on the ranch, although it’s been rundown for years. There’s probably at least a few animals living inside it, so I don’t want to bring her there.
