But the bond was a physical thing now, a tether he could feel stretching across the estate, pulling at his sternum. His bear didn’t want strategy or duty. It wanted to turn around, march back to her door, and not just hold her through the night, but wrap itself around her until every doubt was smothered.
The conflict was a fresh, open wound, and tomorrow, he would have to look her in the eye and pretend it didn’t exist.
ELEVEN
TESS
Dawn crept through the windows of Tess’s guest suite, but sleep had been a stranger all night. Every time she’d closed her eyes, her body had betrayed her, replaying the sensation of Korran’s hands on her skin, the weight of him above her, the way he’d filled her so completely that she’d felt remade. Now, she lay tangled in sheets that carried the lingering scent of pine and spice mixed with the musk of their joining.
She threw off the sheets with more force than necessary and padded barefoot to the walk-in closet. Her reflection in the mirror caught her off guard—hair mussed, eyes bright, lips still slightly swollen. She looked like a woman who’d been thoroughly claimed.
But the connection between them had been more than just physical. It was something deeper and more primal than anything she’d experienced. Even now, there was a strange humming sensation beneath her skin.
Probably just pheromones,she told herself firmly, rifling through the expensive clothes he’d somehow procured for her.Some bear shifter thing that’ll fade.
She bypassed the elegant dresses and silk blouses, reaching instead for her own practical dark jeans and cream sweater. Thelast thing she needed was to send mixed signals by wearing his gifts. She wasn’t leaning into whatever had happened between them—she was here to work, to solve a medical mystery that had stumped an entire territory for a decade.
As she pulled on her boots, memories from her graduate school days surfaced unbidden. Professor Jacobs and their ill-fated romance that had nearly derailed her career before it had even started. She’d learned then that mixing professional obligations with personal desire was a recipe for disaster. She’d transferred out of his class after they’d slept together, though they’d continued their relationship for another year before she’d finally ended it. Her ambitions had to come first.
The parallel wasn’t lost on her now.
She made her way to the sitting area and realized with a spike of annoyance that she’d left her notebook and datapad in Korran’s SUV. Too caught up in wine and that intoxicating presence of his to remember the most basic professional necessities.
Get it together, Tess. You have twelve days left to save a king.
The grand staircase felt endless as she descended, her boots clicking against the polished marble. Korran was already waiting in the foyer with his winter coat on and a wooden box clutched in his hands. When their eyes met, his darkened noticeably—something hungry and possessive in his gaze.
Her body responded immediately, her skin flushing with remembered heat. The strange humming sensation intensified, and she could swear she felt an echo of his desire and his frustration at the distance she was trying to maintain.
“Good morning,” he said, his deep voice carefully neutral despite the fire in his eyes. “I was able to dig up my old notes from when I worked in the lab.”
Despite her resolve to keep things professional, a genuine smile tugged at her lips. “That’s excellent. We can dive into those with Kael when we get to the lab.”
Something flickered across his expression—annoyance, jealousy—at the mention of Kael’s name. As if he wanted her undivided attention, wanted to be the only one working closely with her.
Don’t read into it,she warned herself, brushing past him to grab her winter coat from the rack.
She slipped into her coat with brisk efficiency, not giving him the chance to help her with the gentlemanly gestures he seemed inclined toward. “Ready?”
They walked to his SUV in silence, the morning air crisp against her cheeks. When he moved to open her door, she was already climbing into the passenger seat, determined to maintain professional distance. He paused for a moment, then placed the box in the back seat before sliding behind the wheel.
But the moment the engine started and they were enclosed in the vehicle together, Tess knew she was in trouble. His scent filled the confined space, wrapping around her like a physical caress. The warmth radiating from his large frame seemed to beckon her closer, and she found herself gripping her recovered notebook and datapad like a lifeline.
She stared intently out the window at the snow-laden landscape, trying to ignore the way his heated gaze kept flicking to her. The silence stretched, thick with unspoken tension and the memory of tangled limbs and desperate kisses.
This is going to be the longest two weeks of my life.
The drive to the medical facilities felt interminable, though it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. When Korran finally pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine, Tess practically launched herself out of the vehicle, not waiting for him to come around and play the gentleman.
She hurried toward the glass and steel building, her breath forming small clouds in the cold air. Behind her, she heard his longer strides catching up, but she didn’t slow down. The sooner they got to work, the sooner she could lose herself in data and analysis instead of the way his mouth had felt against hers.
Kael was already at her designated workspace when she pushed through the lab doors, his bright brown eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. His disheveled hair and eager expression reminded her of herself in her early career—all passion for discovery and none of the cynicism that came with experience.
“Good morning, Dr. Holt.”
“Good morning, Kael.” Tess shed her coat and hung it on the back of her chair.
This was her element—data, hypotheses, and the methodical pursuit of truth.
