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My grizzly mate let out an irritated huff, making it clear he wasn’t excited about the idea. “I’m sure we can come up with an appropriate bribe. The food you stocked his kitchen with is delicious.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret about being a fated mate.” She wagged her brows. “Sex works better than food as a bribe.”
I giggled so hard that I would’ve fallen off Keane’s back if he hadn’t shifted to the right as I tumbled in that direction. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Rome called her name from inside their cabin, and she gave me a little wave before going to see what he wanted. As Keane ambled back toward our home, I couldn’t help but wonder about how amazing everything had turned out for me. When I had accepted the invitation to go camping, I had hoped that it would be the start of a friendship with my two co-workers. Although I’d been horribly wrong about that, the result was better than I could have imagined. Running away from Sally and Bess and getting lost in the woods had led me straight to a better life.
Now I had Keane, the sexy man who’d been made for me, a cozy cabin to share with him…and maybe even a new friend in Thora.
Epilogue
Laina
“You’ll love it.”
I shook my head stubbornly.
“Don’t you trust me?” Keane asked, popping out his bottom lip. I couldn’t help laughing at the big, scary bear shifter trying to pout. It looked ridiculous, but I still found his attempt adorable, and my resolve weakened just a touch.
With a deep inhale, I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head while standing my ground. “I am not going camping.”
His face transformed into a smoldering look that wet my panties and made butterflies swirl in my belly. Then he snaked an arm around me and yanked my body into his, letting me feel the impressive bulge in his jeans. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Cheater,” I huffed, knowing it wouldn’t take much more to make me give in.
A wide grin split his handsome face. “Whatever it takes, baby.” His smile turned smug, and from the glint in his eyes, I could tell he was confident he had a smoking gun. “Thora packed the cooler.”
Yup. I’d been taken down by gourmet food and orgasms.
“Fine. But you owe me, big guy.”
“Noted.” His smirk indicated that he had zero problems with that. Keane enjoyed spoiling me. He did everything he could to make sure I knew without a doubt that he loved me.
I was seriously the luckiest woman in the world, and if letting him take me camping was one way for me to prove the depth of my feelings right back, then I’d suck it up and deal with it.
It took less than ten minutes for Keane to load up the back of his truck since he’d had everything ready to go when I got home that afternoon from a shopping trip with Thora and some of the other mates in Timber Ridge.
He led me to the passenger side and lifted me into my seat, then brushed a kiss over my lips as he buckled me in. Once he was settled on his side, we drove off down the main path as the sun began to slowly sink below the horizon.
Around thirty minutes later, Keane turned the truck onto a much smaller—and from the looks of it, rarely used—path. I soaked in the beauty all around me. I’d easily settled into living in the wilderness, which had surprised me. But then, I would’ve been happy anywhere as long as I was with Keane. And he’d started modernizing our cabin a few weeks after I moved in. My favorite thing was the wall of bookshelves he’d built into the living room. I’d blushed at the thought of anyone who came over seeing all of my smutty books on display, but Keane insisted that I shouldn’t care what anyone else thought. I’d felt even better about it when Thora stopped by the first time the shelves were all set up and asked to borrow several novels after perusing my selection.
My thoughts scattered as Keane navigated the truck into a large clearing. There was a small area designated for parking, so he pulled in and stopped the truck. I stared out at the picturesque place, my mouth slack with awe.
He helped me out of the vehicle, and walking forward, I did a full revolution to see everything around me. A small waterfall fed into a little pond on one side of the clearing and a lookout on the other. The view of the forest below, painted in the last bit of color from the sunset, was breathtaking.
“This is incredible,” I whispered.
Keane wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. “It’s not nearly as beautiful as you.”
I sighed and leaned back against him, completely happy.
“There’s more,” he murmured, and I tipped my head back to look up at his face.
“More than this?”
He nodded and released me but took hold of my hand. “I promised camping with me would be different. That you’d love it.” Curious about what he had up his proverbial sleeve, I let him guide me toward the waterfall without a word.
We walked into the foliage just to the right of it, and I came to a sudden stop, gasping at the sight before me.
