Justin wanted her as badly as she wanted him. The hard bulge pressing against her crotch told her as much.

"Best thing I've heard all day." As if Elle were weightless, Justin rose smoothly to his feet.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and felt his hands under her buttocks, supporting her.

He kissed her hard, then strode through her house and climbed the stairs to the second story while she clung to him and nibbled on the rim of his ear and the side of his neck.

He bore her into her bedroom like a conquering general and lowered her to the bed, where she sat on the edge of the mattress and watched in anticipation as he swiftly removed his boots and socks before straightening up again.

She licked her lips as his hands went to his big silver belt buckle.

Justin unhooked the buckle and opened the button at the waist of his jeans, then paused as Elle reached behind her, feeling for the hooks that fastened her bra.

"Don't," he said. "I'd like to do that."

"Then I get to do this," she said, and reached for the fly of his jeans.

"Deal."

Justin obligingly moved closer and stood between her knees as she pulled his jeans down over his lean hips and let them slide down to his ankles. He stepped out of them and kicked them out of the way.

Then Elle hooked her fingers under the waistband of his bulging briefs and tugged them down. 

The rich rush of scents was intoxicating—Justin's male essence, the deep musk of his arousal, and underneath it all, the sharp perfume of his cat half…

And here he was, naked except for the bandages on his arms, and all hers for the night.

Elle leaned forward eagerly, cupping his newly freed cock. It pulsed eagerly against her palm as she slid her fingers around the thick shaft.

She fisted him, then drew her hand slowly up his length, enjoying the contrast between the soft, silky skin of his shaft and the hardness sheathed within. When she reached the swollen, sensitive head, she caressed it and was gratified to hear Justin groan.

She did it again, feeling her own arousal climb at his reaction.

Then, to her disappointment, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands away.

"My turn," he said and skimmed his hands up her arms.

He slipped one deliberate finger under each of her bra straps and slid them slowly down. Then he deftly unfastened her bra and drew it off.

Elle experienced a brief pang that her breasts were no longer as high and firm as they'd been when she met Ashton, but Justin's admiring glance quickly dissipated any insecurity she felt.

"So beautiful," he breathed, reaching out to reverently cup her breasts. 

His thumbs boldly skimmed her nipples, stiffening them further. Elle gasped with pleasure and closed her eyes.

"Now…the rest of you," Justin murmured.

Before she could react, she found herself flat on her back, with his clever fingers at the waist of her capris.

He bared her slowly to his gaze, letting his fingers brush her skin with lingering caresses as he drew off her capris and underwear, leaving her completely nude.

She was used to seeing other shifters naked but not in the privacy of her bedroom. And not when they were obviously excited by the sight of her.

Justin was still standing between her knees, his eyes misting with gold now as his beast rose inside him.

Panting, she wriggled up on the bed and reached for him. He came willingly, his scarred, tightly muscled body moving over hers.

He kissed her, his mouth hard and urgent this time. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against him, glorying in the hard length that dug into the soft curve of her belly.

Justin moved lower, covering her throat with kisses and the occasional nip, then traced the line of her collarbones with lips and tongue.

Elle squirmed beneath him, silently urging him to go lower. His earlier teasing touches on her breasts had left her hungry for more.

Justin raised his head and smirked at her.

"Is there something in particular you'd like me to do? Go on, you can ask me anything…," he purred.

"Damn it, Justin Long," Elle exploded. She arched her back and offered herself to him. "You know what I want."

"Maybe," he teased. "But I just want to hear you say it."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You look like a cat playing with a mouse…but I'm no mouse," she warned him with pretend menace. "I'm a bear, and if you push me too far, I'll just take what I want."

"Ooh, now, that could be fun."

Laughing, he rolled off her and flopped in pretend submission onto the mattress next to her.

"Please don't hurt me," he begged playfully. "I've never been taken by a bear before."

"Justin!" she all but screamed in frustration.

He just looked up at her, smirking.

"Please. Come back here," she tried in a softer tone. "You're just so…manly, and I want you so badly."

He raised one tawny brow. "And…?"

"And I want you to touch my breasts. Now," she growled, then added, with an effort, "Please."

He laughed. "You should know I can't resist when you ask me so nicely." He moved back over her. "Now…where was I?"

A moment later, his teeth closed delicately around her nipple.

Elle gasped at the jolt of pleasure that shot through her.

The sound seemed to encourage Justin, and he spent a long time worshipping her breasts. He seemed to know exactly what she needed—when to caress her with a feather-light brush of his lips or tongue and when to use his teeth.

Elle's gasps quickly turned to moans under his attentions.

She was aware only of pure, throbbing need as he finally began to make his way lower with soft kisses.

His warm, wet tongue circled her navel, then he went lower as she eagerly spread her legs.

Justin dipped his head between her thighs and did something with his tongue that had her seeing stars. She arched and cried out and saw him grinning.

"Glad you liked that," Justin said, with justifiable smugness.

Then he bent his head and applied himself as she panted and squirmed and made noises that probably would mortify her if she thought about it later.

Right now, though, she was rising higher and higher on a cresting wave of almost unbearable pleasure. She clutched at his short hair, silently urging him on.

When she climaxed, it felt like she was falling through a sky filled with bright points of sensation. Elle cried out, racked by intense waves of pleasure and unable to restrain herself.

She had barely floated back down, her climax still rippling through her, when she heard Justin growl, "I can't wait any longer, Elle."

He moved up and over her. She reached down and eagerly guided his thick length into her.

With a groan, Justin thrust his hips forward, filling and stretching her. It felt divine to feel him against her and inside her. Her arousal, which hadn't died away despite her climax, kindled back to life.

He took her fast and hard, and to her surprise, she climaxed a second time before he stiffened against her and groaned with his own release.

When he was done, he kissed her softly.

"I've been wanting to do that since I met you," he confessed. "Thank you."

Elle had never been thanked for sex before. Were all Texans this polite?

"The pleasure was all mine," she responded and then heard herself giggling like a teenager.

When she got herself back under control, she kissed the corner of his mouth, feeling the exciting scrape of stubble against her lips. "I should be thanking you. It's been a really long time for me."

"Me, too," he agreed. "But worth the wait. Elle, you are a very special lady." 

They cuddled together for a while, exchanging gentle caresses that quickly stoked the fire inside Elle once more. She could feel Justin's rapidly renewing interest pressing against her thigh, and smiled with anticipation.

She felt happy, beautiful, and sexy. And very, very glad for shifter stamina as Justin lifted her on top of him and filled her once more.

They made love for hours, by turns slow and gentle, hard and fast. His scarred body shone with sweat in the moonlight as he moved tirelessly inside her, and his mouth and fingers worked the most delightful magic on her body.

In the depths of the night, Elle felt like someone who had been wandering in a desert for a long time and had finally come upon a spring of clear, life-giving water.

Justin's caresses were like that water. She felt renewed and revitalized and thirsty for more. No matter how many times he brought her to climax, she felt like she couldn't get enough of him.

And he seemed to feel the same about her.

Too bad this isn't going anywhere real, she thought, much later, when she was on the verge of drifting off to sleep in his arms. I wish he wasn't leaving so soon.

Make him stay, her bear informed her.

Oh honey, I wish I could.

* * *

In the morning, it felt so good and so right to wake up with one of Elle's arms flung across his waist, in a soft bed filled with the scents of their lovemaking and a flood of warm golden light spilling around the curtains and pooling on the antique Persian carpet.

I want her for our mate, his cat informed Justin.

Me, too, Justin responded, still groggy with sleep.

Then memory and reason kicked in. So did regret.

He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay on this ranch forever, with Elle sharing this bed with him every night.

Was there some way he could parlay this temporary affair into something more permanent?

And would Elle even be open to a long-term relationship? Justin was old enough to know that a quick fling like the one they were currently enjoying didn't involve messy relocations or family politics the way that a more settled arrangement would.

On the other hand, he and Elle were now connected by marriage. Even if he left now to pursue his plans back home in Wildcat Springs, they'd see each other again at Thanksgiving. And maybe enjoy another night like this one.

It was the most sensible and grown-up way to handle things.

So why did it feel so unsatisfying?

His cat wanted to make a move to claim Elle as their mate on the spot, before any rival male could show up and court her.

And Justin knew there were rival males out there, hungry for the lovely widow. So far, he'd only met one of them, a pathetic Ordinary, but Bearpaw Ridge was a shifter community.

It was only a matter of time before he'd lose her to someone willing to commit to her. 

But she's already been a widow for a long time, Justin's human half argued.

His cat didn't care.

As if his restless thoughts had touched her, Elle stirred and opened her eyes.

She stroked Justin's torso, tracing a set of scars that crossed his ribs from side to side. "Morning," she murmured.

"Morning." He smiled at her and gently pushed her soft, tousled hair out of her face before giving her the kind of thorough kiss that someone as special and sexy as Elle deserved.

That led to fresh wave of seductive scents rising from her, which in turn roused his animal hungers and stirred him to action.

It wasn't long before she was gasping and trying to restrain those lovely moans. That only inspired him to greater efforts.

Elle was everything he wanted in a woman—soft and responsive and enthusiastic, with a steely core of strength.

She demonstrated that strength when she unexpectedly turned the tables on him.

Justin suddenly found himself on his back with his hips pinned to the mattress and Elle's warm, deliciously plump lips wrapped around his cock as she worked to send him straight to heaven.

When he was teetering on the brink, she straddled him with those long, lovely legs of hers, and ruthlessly rode him over the edge to their mutual satisfaction.

Damn, but he loved a woman who wasn't afraid to take control once in a while!

And best of all, she apparently found him as irresistible as he found her.

"Mrs. Swanson, you're a damned sight better than coffee in the morning," he joked, when she was cuddled up against him in the afterglow.

He was spooning her, with her head pillowed on his bicep, the lovely soft curve of her bottom nestled against his groin and one soft breast filling his free hand. He loved stroking it and feeling the nipple rise and stiffen against his fingers as the scent of her renewed arousal filled his senses.

Elle chuckled. "And you're turning me into a sex maniac, Mr. Long," she responded.

"All just part of my evil sabertooth nature," he assured her. "I intend to have my wicked way with you until you surrender."

"And then what?" Her hand came up to cover his.

"I haven't quite worked out the rest of the plan," he admitted. "I'm having too much fun with the wicked ways stage."

He liked making her laugh. It was such a joyous sound, coming from her, and he loved the way that her soft brown eyes lit up.

Burdened with running a ranch and raising five boys on her own, it seemed to him, she probably hadn't had a lot to laugh about.

Well, he intended to change all that. While he was here, anyway.

After a while, she kissed him and sat up. "Want to join me for a shower before I fix us some breakfast?"

"Sure," he agreed.

Then he heard his cellphone ringing from the pocket of his jeans, currently located somewhere on the floor.

He and Elle exited the bed from opposite sides.

Justin grabbed his jeans and fumbled to locate his phone. If someone was calling him this early, it had to be important.

"I'll get the water going. Come on in when you've finished your call," Elle said and vanished into the adjoining bathroom.

Justin finally managed to extricate his phone. He saw it was Jim de León, and hit Answer.

"Hey, it's Justin."

"We got a big problem," Jim said without any preamble. "If you're still fixin' to become Pride First, you need to get your ass home as soon as possible."