Page 30 of Luke: The Bears

She was his. He was hers. There was only Luke and home.

A second wave of pleasure built fast, bright and overwhelming. She tore her mouth from his with a gasp and cried out his name as he surged impossibly faster and harder into her, his control fraying as she leaped into another depth of pleasure. His name broke from her lips as her body clamped around him, waves of deep bliss crashing over her.

He buried his face against her neck as he followed her climax with his own. And then his fangs sank into her neck and something lit inside her, a little beacon of pleasure from the mating bite that made her orgasm surge again, her vision sparking with fireworks and her skin prickling.

His growl vibrated through her body as the bond between them snapped into place. She felt a layer of connection to him that she hadn’t before, like she could feel his devotion to her and his bear’s fierce and unwavering loyalty.

He pulled his fangs gently from her neck and pressed a soft kiss below the tender mark. “My mate.”

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. “Yours. And you’re mine.”

“Always.”

Too blissed to move under her own power, Valley let Luke gather her closer as he rolled to his back and settled her on his chest. His heartbeat thundered beneath her cheek, strong and steady. The mark on her neck pulsed a little, like a tether between them.

She tilted her face up to look at him and he smiled at her.

“I love you so much,” Luke said.

She moved up enough to kiss him. “I love you too, sweet bear.”

She snuggled back down into his arms, listening to his heartbeat. In a week, Luke had become the most important person in the world to her. She got to live her own happily ever after because she went to The Howl a week ago on a whim and found the other half of her heart.

By the time they made it to The Amber Howl for their date, the tavern was already packed. It was the second weekend of June and that meant a new band on the deck. She could hear the music as she and Luke walked to the tavern, hand in hand. Skipping the front entrance, they walked in through the back and stopped at the kitchen to say hello to Sigh and Juliette, and Marco the line cook.

“I’m glad you guys stopped in,” Sigh said. “Juliette and I will bring out your food to you in a few minutes.”

“We didn’t order yet,” Luke said.

“Trust us,” Juliette said, smiling. “Grab drinks from Dare at the bar, we’ll be out soon.”

Valley looked up at Luke. “I think they’re up to something.”

“Seems like it. Okay, we’ll see you out there.”

They walked through the swinging door into the main room, getting drinks from Dare. She picked one of the new mocktails that Audrey had written on the board: Dragon-ade – lemonade and dragonfruit syrup with dried dragonfruit.

Luke went with a beer, saying that he couldn’t drink anything but beer with a burger from The Howl.

They found their reserved table on the deck and settled in to listen to the band. Luke moved his chair next to hers and put his arm around her. He kissed her temple. “Sweetheart, I love you so much.”

She smiled. “I love you too.”

The table was tucked near the rail with a perfect view of the river and Mill Creek. She was about to ask if Luke wanted to dance when Sigh and Juliette walked out with two plates with burgers and fries.

They set them down on the table.

Valley frowned. “This isn’t the Burger Next Door,” she said. The burgers Sigh set in front of them had melted cheese and some kind of dark sauce. Was that bacon?

“No, it’s not this week’s burger of the week,” Sigh said. “This is next week’s.”

Juliette grinned. “We’re debuting the burger early because it’s for you two. In honor of your mating, Sigh made you the Oh Honey Burger.”

Sigh looked so pleased with himself. “It’s our regular third-pounder, with colby-jack cheese and honey bacon jam.”

“You might have met each other because of the opening night of the deck last weekend, but I am still certain the burgers of the week are magic, and not just because I think Sigh is amazing,” Juliette said.

Valley rose to her feet and hugged Juliette. “I think the whole place is magic. Burgers, tavern, town… everyone in it, too.”