The thought stilled him. Brody lifted his lips from hers and moved back a tiny bit so he could meet her eyes.

“I want you to know…” He paused to catch his breath. “There’s a very real possibility that if we do this, I’ll want to keep you.”

The way her eyes lit up made his heart clench.

“What if I want to keep you too?” Nell countered after a moment’s pause.

“Honey, if you’re my mate, you won’t be able to get rid of me.” He needed to make her understand. “And that’s the truth. Mating is for life among shifters. So if you’re not sure about this…”

Goddess, he was going to kill himself later for being so noble. But if she really wasn’t sure and wanted out… He had no choice. He had to let her go if she asked. His honor demanded no less.

“How will you know if I’m your mate?” she asked, her fingers running up and down his arms in a playful way that made him want to growl.

“Once we make love, my inner bear will either want to claim you or be indifferent. If the bear is indifferent, there’s not much the human side can do about it.” He had to be brutally honest with her. She deserved the truth.

“So it’s all or nothing?” He didn’t like the way her eyes shifted to the side. That she wouldn’t meet his gaze told him something.

“It would never be nothing. Not between us.” He stroked a strand of her hair back to tuck behind her ear. “I admire you. I think you’re amazing in almost every way, Nell. I just want to be honest with you. I value the truth, and you deserve it. I wanted you to know that if, and when, the bear gets a taste of you and decides he likes it, there’s no turning back. If the bear recognizes you as his mate, it’s for life, so I wanted you to be forewarned.”

“How likely is it?” she whispered shyly.

Brody stifled a growl at her unconsciously sexy tone. “I think it’s very likely.”

“So mates means…what? Is that like, you’d want to marry me?” She sounded so hopefully unsure it was kind of a turn on.

“Mating is more than marriage. It’s forever. It means everything a human marriage does and more. Like building a family together, if that’s what fate has in store.”

“Children?” She seemed happily surprised. “Would they be like you? Little bears?”

“Probably,” he admitted. “Either way, they’d be loved.” He sensed her approval of his words. “The thing is, mating is not something you can end with a legal document. When I say it’s forever, I mean forever. I could never let you go, Nell.” He cupped her cheek in his palm. “You would be mine, and I would be yours. For the rest of our lives.”

“So…um…how does the bear know?” she asked, moving closer to him, almost breathing her words against his lips. “I mean, you’ll be human when we…um…”

He thought he knew what she was driving at, so he helped the conversation along. “I will only make love to you in my human form, since you are human. Frankly, doing it as a bear has its limitations, so I won’t miss it. Though it might be fun to play chase with you occasionally. The bear likes to hunt.”

Her eyes widened, but he didn’t let her talk anymore. The important things had been said, and she hadn’t run from him. No, she had stuck by him through the awkward revelations. She had seemed more intrigued and hopeful than fearful. There was nothing more to say. Now was the time for action.

---

His words gave Nell pause, but not enough to want to stop. She’d never responded so completely to a man, never wanted a man so much. She felt in her heart that Brody was someone special to her, even if he was a being totally outside her previous experience.

The whole concept of shapeshifters still kind of blew her mind, but she’d known Brody for a while now, and in all that time, he’d always been a man she could admire, respect, and definitely want to get to know better. Now was her chance, and she was going to reach out and take it with both hands.

She was going to reach out and take him with everything she had. The need building inside her would not be denied. And, somehow, she trusted that the future would take care of itself. If they were supposed to be together forever, it would happen.

She liked the idea a lot. Brody was the kind of man a woman could build a life with. He had all the qualities she admired in a man—and then some. The whole bear thing… Well…even though it was still a little scary, it was also kind of a turn on. All that leashed power was very attractive in an uncivilized, throwback sort of way. Nell hadn’t realized she was so old fashioned, but something about Brody holding all that magic and strength inside him was incredibly attractive.

He wasn’t hard on the eyes either. Muscles on muscles, Brody had the kind of physique women drooled over. In fact, she and her sisters had noticed how well most of the men in the area were built. It had been the topic of conversation between them, for weeks now. They’d put it up to the rustic setting, and the fact that most of these men worked hard at physical jobs and tasks around town and on their properties. Now Nell knew another facet—they were all shapeshifters who could turn into bears.

Her sisters would never believe her if she tried to tell them. Smiling inwardly at that thought, she didn’t resist when Brody moved closer. And then, she didn’t have any truly cohesive thoughts for a very long time as he showed her how a shapeshifting man could worship a female body.

More than that though, she felt like, of the few men she’d been with, Brody was the first one to think more of her comfort than his own. He undressed her as if she was made of some priceless, fragile substance. And when she pushed at his shoulders and fisted her hand in the fabric that still covered him, he took the hint and quickly removed the offending material.

His skin was hot and only slightly rough against her palms. For a guy who turned into a bear on a regular basis, he wasn’t all that hairy. She loved the feel of his muscles moving under taut skin, and his big hands were as patient with her as she could have dreamed. He was a considerate lover, which was something she’d always looked for in a man. A gentle giant.

Exactly like Brody.

She gasped as he cupped her bare breasts, his fingers rubbing her nipples. He teased her skin with deliberate touches that drove her passions higher. Each little lick of his tongue over hers, and his fingers over her breasts, made her want more.

His mouth moved downward, over her jaw, into the sensitive hollow of her neck and then, lower. His palms positioned her breasts for him to lick and suck. Little noises of pleasure issued from her throat without her conscious volition.

He lay her back on the table, coming down over her, blanketing her with his warmth. Her remaining clothes disappeared as if they had melted away, and her mind spun as he kissed a trail down over her abdomen and into the warm crevice between her thighs.

Never in her life had she felt such sensations. Brody played her body like a master, and she suddenly realized that any other sexual experiences she’d ever had could never compare to this moment…to this man. Brody was unique.

“Mmmm,” he rumbled against her most sensitive spot, making her quiver. He paused and looked up at her, meeting her gaze from between her thighs. “Know something bears really like?” he asked rhetorically, pausing a beat as their gazes held. Then he smiled. “Honey.”

Leading with his tongue, he renewed his gentle assault, driving her higher until she shattered. She came, and he rode her through it, gentling her and drawing out the climax.

When her body started warming up again—much to her surprise—he stood and removed his pants, the final barrier between them. The shape and size of him was impressive. She almost laughed, thinking of the way she and her sisters had been speculating about all the hunky guys in town. Based on what she was seeing here, her sisters would have to revise their estimates…up. Way up.

Brody was hung like a bear. The thought crossed her mind, and then she nearly dissolved in giggles. The only thing that saved her was that, at that very moment, Brody stepped closer once more, tugging her downward on the huge table until her splayed thighs were in the perfect position to receive him.

And then, all thoughts fled her mind once more as he joined them. Skin to skin. She would think about that later too, once her mind was out of the clouds and back on Earth. For now, though, everything was perfect. Brody was perfect. Big but perfect for her.

He touched places inside her body—and in her heart, as well—that no man had ever touched before. He filled her, claimed her, and made her his own.

Even if his bear didn’t think she was his mate, Brody the man was going to have a hard time getting rid of Nell after this. Just let him try. She could be every bit as possessive as a grizzly bear.

Then he began to move.

Sweet mother in heaven, Nell wasn’t sure she was going to survive. The pleasure built in slow waves as he began an advance and retreat, like water lapping at the shore. The gentle lapping turned into an ocean current as his motion increased and then into a torrent as they were both swept up in something beyond control.

The tempest was upon them, pushing her to the height of pleasure, demanding and giving all at the same time. She clung to Brody’s shoulders. He was her one solid presence inside the raging storm. He was her anchor and her rock. He was the one who would protect her and push her beyond all boundaries. He was her lover and, if she had anything to say about it at all, her mate.

She screamed his name as the crashing wave broke, casting her higher than she had ever gone before. His muscles tightened as her body clenched around him, and together, they rode the gentler waves of completion, held secure in each other’s arms.