Bear

The solitude had always been my companion and I accepted it, embraced it. Living on my own with the forest as my backyard had always been good enough for me.

Until it no longer was.

The quiet could be loud, the loneliness a burden. I was tired of being on my own. I wanted a wife, needed a woman to call my own.

Who I wanted was Susie.

She was sweet and kind, innocent and soft in all the right places. She made this caveman part of me rise up and take control. The things I wanted to do to her would probably frighten her, scare her away for good.

I didn’t pretend to be a gentle man. I was brutal and savage in my way of living, but when I looked at her I felt something soften within me.

It was time to man up and tell her what I wanted, that she was all I thought about, all I needed in my life.

Susie

I’d loved Bear for as long as I could remember, but I was just the grocery delivery girl, a person he barely talked to, rarely saw when I did my drop-offs. I’d always been too much of a coward to tell him how I felt, so I divulged all my longings and secrets to my best friend.

But I was tired of doing that. I wanted to be honest with him even if that ended up putting this wall between us, even if I got a broken heart.

I was willing to risk all of that to pour my heart out, to finally be honest.

I was willing to do all of that in the hopes he would say he loved me too.

Warning: This may not be a paranormal story, but it has bite to it! With a growly, celibate hero who’s been lusting after one virginal heroine, it’s time he staked his claim in all the ways that matter. Don’t worry, it’s still safe with a HEA and all the sexy goodness that goes along with it!

I curled my hands into tight fists at my side, wanting to go to her, push the long fall of her hair off her shoulder and place my mouth right on the side of her neck. I wanted to lick and suck at her flesh, taste her skin and see if she was as sweet as she looked.

I found myself moving closer, my body having a mind of its own. Every part of me said to screw formalities, to forget about everything else aside from making Susie mine.

The island stopped me from getting any closer, but then she turned around, our gazes clashing, her eyes widening. Her lips were red, naturally shaded that color and so kissable. My cock was hard, thickening behind my jeans, pressing against the zipper. The bastard wanted out, wanted to be buried deep inside of her, claiming her in the rough and primal way that a man did when he was consumed by the only woman he had ever wanted.

The longer we stood there staring at each other, the more I saw her chest rising and falling, faster, harder. Her pupils became dilated, her mouth parting slightly. The air between us heated, became thick, almost suffocating. I lowered my gaze to her chest, not able to help myself, wanting to see the mounds behind the cotton of her shirt. Her nipples were hard, pressing against the fabric, making my mouth water.

Things were moving fast, my arousal taking control. There was so much that needed said, so much that needed done before it got to this level.
But I couldn’t stop, couldn’t control myself.

I saw the way her throat moved when she swallowed, her nervousness clear. Hell, I could practically smell her emotions.

She moved away from the island, her little teeth pulling at her bottom lip. My cock jerked behind my pants, the tip becoming slick with pre-cum.
“Bear.” She said my name breathlessly.

I envisioned her saying that in the throes of passion, her lying in my bed with me over her, her hair fanned out across my white sheets … my cock deep in her body.

Jenika Snow, a USA Today bestselling author, lives in the northeast with her husband and their children.

She prefers gloomy days, eats the topping off of her pizza first, and prefers to wear socks year round.