He walked forward, hands on his hips, impressive body on full display. He kicked the door shut behind them and she tried to keep her eyes averted from a very interesting area as they walked backwards. She nearly stumbled through a doorway but caught herself. He was still coming, looking intent and serious, so she backed up into the room he was steering her into until her legs bumped into something and she fell over it.

Of course it was a bed.

She scooted back onto it, letting the soft, pillowy mattress absorb her. Her heart was still pounding, her head hurt just from comprehending it. She leaned back on her hands and winced, waiting for him to come closer. When he didn’t, she relaxed slightly and let her shoulders slump and her head drop forward. Then she looked up at him.

“So, you’re a bear?” she asked weakly.

He nodded, pulling a robe from the wardrobe in front of the bed and sliding it on. “I’m a bear. As I said.”

“No need to get snippy,” she said. “I mean, this is kind of a new thing for me. You can’t really blame me.”

He put a hand over his face and sighed. “No, I really can’t. But here’s the thing. It’s hard for me when you don’t believe me. Even if you’re justified. Hell, maybe because you’re justified. Because it just reminds me how shitty I treated you before.”

“Really, it wasn’t so bad.”

“Really?” he asked, tying the belt as he stepped forward. “Then why are you still so distant with me? Why are you still so unwilling to trust?”

“Because it’s hard to believe you could really want me,” she blurted out. “It made more sense when you were rejecting me. It hurt, but it made sense.”

He stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes widened slightly. He scratched the back of his head and made his blond hair stand up adorably. “What do you mean, it made sense?”

She gestured to him. “Look at you. Now look at me.”

His brows lowered as he did as he was told. “I am. From what I see, you’re too beautiful for me.”

“Then why didn’t you want me before?” she asked. “If I was beautiful, if I wanted you, what was holding you back? What was so wrong with me?”

“It’s because you weren’t a bear, okay?” he said tersely, folding his arms. “I thought I was supposed to be with a bear. I’ve been imagining it ever since I was younger. I guess it started when I lost my mom. My other brothers moved away shortly after, but I was left behind. I’m the one who saw my father’s grief. I guess I comforted myself by saying that wouldn’t happen to me. That I wouldn’t fall for a fragile human.”

“Hey,” she said.

He put a hand up. “Before you get offended, let me finish. We shifters have an innate need to protect our mates. Our dad’s loss wasn’t only a loss, but a failure. I saw that incomprehensible pain and I thought I could insulate myself from it by choosing a mate who would be tall, strong, and have regenerative powers like me. But I was wrong.”

She took a deep breath and let it out, still trying to process everything.

“So yes, you were always beautiful. You always made it hard to breathe. Everyone saw it; it was only me who didn’t. That wall was just too high. I didn’t even realize how high until I started to fall for you.”

“Because we had sex,” she said skeptically.

“Yes. No. The truth is, would we really have even had sex if there wasn’t already something between us?” he asked. “I had already kissed you, dammit. Really, I should have known everything I needed to know when you made me feel something strong enough that I had to run across the world to get away from it.”

“Didn’t you go to Australia to train, though?” she asked.

“Part of me did. A part of me was ready to settle down, but just thought it would be with a bear. When there were no bears around, and there was a particularly tantalizing little human, I knew I couldn’t stay. I didn’t want to be tempted into something that seemed like it would hurt.”

“I see,” she said.

“But I was wrong,” he said. “You’re stronger than I ever imagined. And it’s not the leg, before you go saying that. It’s that you had the courage to come in and pick me up when I was down, even after I’d hurt you. How brave you are with snowboarding. I’ve taught a lot of cowards in my day. The way you rolled in the snow with me, the way you melted in my arms when we kissed in the snow. The way you warm me up. The way you make me chase you and the way you let me catch you. The way it feels when I’m inside you. All of that, Kylie. I can’t live without all of that.”

Her eyes were stinging so she blinked away the oncoming tears.

“There was always something between us. You just felt it first because you didn’t have something blocking it. But I did.” He strode to a backpack that was on a chair in the corner of the room and pulled out a small box, which he slid into his pocket. “But after my accident, when I couldn’t help spending time alone with you because I wanted to make your dream come true, wanted to teach you to snowboard, I realized how wrong I was. I truly did. From the moment we first kissed. And that’s why I had avoided you.”

He looked away. “I knew that the first moment alone, I’d want to kiss you. And from the moment I kissed you, I’d want to make love to you, and the moment I made love to you, I’d have to keep you forever. And forever is a long time to be worried about someone,” he said.

He pulled out the box and knelt at the front of the bed. “But I’d worry less if you stayed by my side. You’ve been by my side from the start, so can you see it in your heart to stay with me?” he asked, opening the box. “I bought this right after we made love. I knew right then. And it had nothing to do with a brain injury. If anything, that accident gave me a chance to wake up. Kylie, will you marry me?”

She looked down at the ring shining in the blue velvet box that was definitely from Tiffany’s. A simple solitaire with a sparkly, very white round diamond, and little diamonds on the shank on either side. Like the whole ring was small but made of sparkle. It suited her perfectly. She reached for the box and blinked, thinking about it. It was so sudden. Too sudden. It was…

“Yes,” she said simply, jumping into his arms. “Yes.”

---

He almost couldn’t believe he’d heard right. Did the woman of his dreams just say yes to him? After all he’d put her through? He hugged her tight. He would never let her change her mind. He’d keep proving forever that he was worth it. “There’s something that we’ll have to do at some point,” he said. “You’ll have to accept my bear. It’s a ceremony.”

“What does it involve?” she asked, sitting back on the bed and admiring the ring he’d slipped onto her hand. It fit perfectly, which was a minor miracle since he’d had to just eyeball and guess.

“You just have to say some specific words. And kiss it.”

She blinked up at him. “Um. Okay, I can do that.”

“He frightens you, doesn’t he?”

She nodded. “A bit. It’ll take some getting used to, that’s all. Does this mean you’re going to outlive me?”

“No,” he said. “When we complete the mating ceremony, you’ll be my mate and we’ll be locked for life. I’m not necessarily going to live longer, just because I can regenerate. And I’ll protect you. Watch out for you. We’ll grow old together.”

“Sounds good to me,” she said. She wiggled her fingers. “How did you know my size?”

“I didn’t. I just got lucky. But do you like it? It reminded me of you. Small but sparkly. Perfect.”

She nodded. “I’m impressed you got it here so fast.”

He shrugged. “I have my ways. Once I knew, I just knew.”

“What if I had said no?”

“Then I would have had a ring and a long lonely life. That’s if I couldn’t persuade you otherwise,” he said.

She eyed him, a twinkle in her gray-blue eyes. “You can be quite persuasive at times.”

“Oh, can I?” he asked, crawling onto the bed with her. His pecs peeked out from the gap in his robe, and she gulped as she looked down to where his abs were as well. She could almost see…

“Peeping at me?” He sat back on his knees and drew his robe closed in mock offense. “How improper.”

“But aren’t we engaged now?” she asked.

“Yup,” he said. “I only wish we were officially mated as well. You know what the second part is, after you accept my bear?”

“What’s that?” she asked.

He whispered in her ear. “Unprotected sex.”

She gulped. “That sounds amazing.”

“Well, we’ll do it when you’re ready. You’ve probably had enough bear for one day.”

She shook her head and opened her arms for him. She leaned back and let him hug her, full body to full body, lying amongst the soft covers. She could feel his chest rise and fall, hear his heartbeat against hers. The moment was perfect, except…

“I think I could use a little more bear,” she said, running her hands down to clasp his butt and give it a healthy squeeze.

He sucked in his breath and looked down at her. “Oh really?”

“Well, I could use a little more of the man beneath the bear.”

He nipped her ear and then her lips. “I guess I could oblige. Just remember we’re one and the same. When I’m taking you, he’s growling within me, wanting to break free and be with you too.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I guess I’ll try to get used to it.”

“But there are some benefits,” he said, removing his belt and winding the soft material around his hands.

“Oh yeah?” she asked, blushing deeply and brushing her ponytail off her shoulder. “What’s that?”

“He’s very…dominant.” He gave her a predatory grin and she laughed and offered up her hands.

“Well, of course he is. He’s a bearthlete after all.”

He lowered his hands with the belt between them. “What?”

“A bearthlete. An athlete that’s also a bear.”

“Yeah, I put that together. But…”

“I don’t know. It just came to me. I was thinking that I can’t believe this bear, this athlete, is all mine. This bearthlete.”

He groaned. “Oh man, I don’t know if I’m in the mood anymore.”

She arched against the covers. “That’s too bad, because I’m very much in the mood.”

He bit his lip. “Hm.”

She sat up. “Wait, you wanted to know who Taylor was, right?”

He shook his head. “I don’t need to. After today, this bearthlete is going to make sure you never think of him again.”

“Well, that’d be tough, because he’s my brother.”

Ryan slapped a hand over his face. “Are you serious? Then why did you…”

“He used to help get me tucked in, when I was recovering. When I was asleep and you moved me, I must have thought you were him. Honestly, it had nothing to do with the sex.”

“You could have just told me that,” Ryan said.

“And miss how jealous you get? Never.”

He let out a playful growl and got on the bed with her. “Okay, so enough about him.”

“But I thought you weren’t in the mood anymore?” she asked, eyeing the belt in his hands.

“Are you?” he asked.

She grinned. “I’m always in the mood when it comes to you.”

“Then this bearthlete is at your service,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her neck, her lips, and her shoulders. “Forever.”

“I love you,” she said, as he removed her coat and shirt and went to work on her bra.

“I love you, too,” he replied, pulling the rest of her clothing off. When she was naked against him, he held her for just a moment, savoring the feel of their bodies together.

Perfect.

Then the bearthlete claimed his mate, knowing he’d just won the best prize of all. Her love.