Sam

Chloe was handling things better than I had hoped. Not only had she accepted that shifters were real, but she seemed relieved, happy, even, that I was one. That was a good start, but we still had a long way to go.

I moved back behind the counter and pulled on my jeans, aware of her sneaking peeks from beneath half-shuttered lashes. That did nothing to ease the mating heat threatening to burn me from the inside out. As if being around her wasn’t enough of an aphrodisiac, scenting her arousal and knowing she wanted me just as badly made resisting the call almost impossible.

That was the next thing we had to talk about.

“Chloe, I don’t quite know how to explain this. For me and my kind, it’s instinctual knowledge, but to a non-shifter, it might not make a lot of sense at first. You see, shifters have mates, and—”

“I’m yours,” she stated.

“What?”

“I’m yours,” she repeated, her voice stronger and more confident. “I’m your mate.”

“Yes,” I confirmed, stunned.

“How long have you known?”

“Since the first day you walked into second grade,” I admitted. “Like I said, it’s instinctual. I took one look at you and knew you were the one for me.”

She blinked, and another fat tear rolled down her cheek.

“More happy tears?” I asked.

She nodded.

Both bear and man wanted to go over and hold her again, so we did.

“It makes sense now,” she said quietly.

“What does?”

“Why you were so kind to me back then.”

“Partly, I suppose, but I would have been your friend regardless. A mate is so much more than that, though, Chloe. She’s our one. Our only. Once we find the one who’s meant for us, no one else will ever do.”

She lifted her head as the meaning of what I had just told her sank in. “You mean, you’ve never ...?”

“Kissed another girl? Went on a date? Hooked-up? No, never. It would have been pointless, Chloe.”

She turned and straddled my lap. Her feminine heat soaked into my raging hard-on, making it impossible to stifle my groan. I gripped her hips, needing to hold her still before I came in my pants like some pubescent cub.

“Me neither.”

“What?” I hardly dared to hope.

“I thought there was something wrong with me,” she admitted, “because I’ve never wanted to do any of those things.”

“And now?”

“Now, I can’t imagine not doing them ... with you.”

My bear rose up in triumph and roared. “We’ll learn together, then. When you’re ready.”

Her eyes softened as she cupped my face. “I’m so ready, Sam.”

As much as I loved hearing the words, she needed to know everything.

“I’m not just talking about sex, Chloe. You are my mate; already imprinted upon my heart and soul. You need to be absolutely, positively sure, because if I make love to you, I will mark you. I won’t be able to help myself. Our mating bond will be sealed, and it will be unbreakable.”

She lowered her head and brushed her lips across mine. “Well, in that case ... let’s do this.”

My cock throbbed, on board with moving forward immediately. My brain, however, still held onto some control by the finest of threads.

“I don’t think you understand.”

“I get it. We make love. I’m yours, you’re mine. Forever.”

I opened my mouth to say more, but she stopped me by pressing a finger to my lips.

“I have been dreaming about you since before I met you, Sam. Whether I consciously knew it or not, I put you in every one of my paintings, because you were already an integral part of my soul. Making it official is just decorative icing on a cake that was baked a long time ago.”

I drew her in for a deep, soul-searing kiss. In it, I felt the absolute conviction of her words. She believed in me. She believed in us. There was no reason to delay any longer.

I rose from the sofa with Chloe in my arms and took her into the bedroom. There, I laid her down gently and stretched out beside her. Now that she had agreed to be mine, I was going to savor her like I needed to.

I trailed kisses along her jaw, down her neck, licking at the spot where I would mark her and make her mine forever. She shivered beneath me, burrowing her hands in my hair in encouragement and returning my kisses with equal passion.

As I trailed my lips southward along her collarbone, toward the creamy swell of her breast, I slipped my hand beneath her top. Her skin was so smooth, so soft.

I lifted the top over her head and stared at my mate. She was beautiful. And she was all mine.

“You’re shaking,” she whispered.

I was. I was so amped-up, so filled with joy and wonder and the desire to claim that my entire body was vibrating with the effort of holding back.

“I want you so much, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.”

Her absolute confidence was humbling, and I vowed that I would never let her down. As I had already admitted, I didn’t have a lot of experience with this sort of thing. I did know, however, that I was much bigger than her and that proper preparation was key.

We undressed each other, relishing the feel of skin to skin contact for the first time. I couldn’t imagine anything better as I explored her body with my hands and mouth, and she did the same. There was some fumbling involved, but that was okay. We were discovering each other together, and nature was leading the way.

“Sam, please,” she pleaded later in breathy pants, tugging on my hair.

I lifted my head from between her legs, drunk on the arousal of my mate. As much as I would have liked to continue my delectable feast, she was right. We had a claiming to be getting on with.

I rose up over her, our bodies aligning perfectly for what was coming next. She was wet and slick and primed. Still, I hesitated.

“It’s okay, Sam,” she said, looking deep into my eyes. “I need this. I need you. Now.”

I pushed forward slowly, feeling her part around me. I paused when I hit resistance.

“I love you, Chloe,” I told her.

“I love you, too, Sam.”

One rock of my hips was all it took to be seated deep inside my mate.

She sucked in a breath, digging her nails into my skin.

“You okay?” I breathed.

“Yeah. Just give me a minute.”

I would give her an eternity if she asked. Thankfully, it didn’t take nearly that long before she relaxed and began to squirm beneath me. I took that as my cue and began to move, slowly withdrawing and pushing forward.

I had never felt anything like it. With each thrust, I felt us growing closer, our hearts and souls entwining. An ache and tingle swelled low and deep, at the base of my shaft, even as I felt Chloe tightening around me.

Our hearts were hammering, our bodies covered in perspiration, when Chloe pleaded once again, “Yes, Sam! Do it!” She turned her head slightly, instinctively baring the delicate area between her neck and shoulder.

As fire raced from my balls and into my cock, I bit down hard, marking my mate and claiming her as my own forevermore.

Fireworks exploded behind my eye lids as I exploded deep within Chloe. I was vaguely aware of her scream as she wrapped her legs around my hips and held me tightly and deeply.

I continued to pump everything I had into her, tasting her blood on my tongue. I had no idea how long it lasted; I just knew Chloe and I clung to each other, riding each wave as it crested, fell, and built once again.

When the last of the aftershocks faded away, I rolled onto my back, taking Chloe with me.

“That was amazing,” she said on a moan.

I grunted, bear and man in complete agreement.