Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
I suck in a breath. My bear’s practically howling inside me now, restless and needy, pacing behind my ribs like a caged animal. I can feel the pull toward this man in my bones. In my blood.
A strong urge to put my hands on him right now begins to take over, so I quickly change the subject before I do something I might regret.
“Where have you been for eight years?”
He straightens back up and crosses his arms over his chest as he watches me. “What did Magnus tell you?”
“That you left for a girl.”
It’s a lie. Magnus never told me anything, no matter how many times I asked him, but I just want to see how he’s going to react.
“Well, it appears your brother is a bit of a liar then,” he says as he stares me down with a heated gaze. “There’s no one else. Never has been.”
I swallow hard, wondering how I should interpret that.
“Life got… heavy,” he says after a long moment. “The fire and… I had to leave town. Fast. I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
That’s what hurt the most. Adrian was such a big part of my life, whether he knew it or not. Every second thought in my head was about him, so having him disappear without an explanation or a simple goodbye was like a knife to the heart. So, I’m thankful for the apology.
“That’s okay,” I say with a shy shrug. “I’m just glad you’re back.”
He’s all grown up, but there’s still something boyish buried in there behind all that muscle. Something familiar. That something I fell in love with all those years ago.
“You look so different,” I say, “but you look the same at the same time. I hope that makes sense.”
He nods and smiles. “I know what you mean. I can still see that cute mischievous girl who was always up to no good, but you’re not exactly the kid sister anymore.”
I casually push my breasts together with my arms as I look up at him, batting my eyelashes.
“I’m all grown up,” I say with a grin.
“You certainly are,” he says as those piercing blue eyes roam all over me.
“So, are you here for good this time, or are you going to run back to wherever you were hiding the past eight years?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
His eyes lock onto mine. “Whether I’ve got a reason to stay.”
And just like that, the air starts buzzing again with heat and possibility.
I clear my throat and sit straighter, suddenly hyper-aware of the space between us and wanting to erase it all. “Well, we’ve got a pretty good benefits package. Free coffee. Unstable hours. Occasional bear fights. You’ll fit in great.”
He laughs again, low and genuine. “Sounds like I’m right at home.”
And for some reason, that word makes my chest tighten in a way I’m not ready to examine.
Luckily, I don’t have to because Julian stands up and walks over, taking off his big headphones. I can hear Incubus playing through them. “Hey, Victoria, do we have anymore of those large bandages?”
“Yup,” I say, hopping off the stool before I combust. “I’ll get them.”
I take a deep breath as I head into the back storage room. It’s a mess back here, but I know where everything is. One day, I’ll organize it. Maybe.
I turn around with the bandages and crash right into Adrian’s big muscular chest. I suck in a breath as I look up and see the heat in his eyes.
“I didn’t get a tour of this room,” he says, although he doesn’t seem at all interested with the room. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me.
“Let me just…”
He takes the box of bandages from my hand, brushing my fingers with his and it makes him smile. “Julian! Catch!”
He tosses the bandages down the hall and I guess Julian catches them, but I can’t be sure because all of my focus is on the big sexy polar bear shifter towering in front of me.
“You know what’s going on here, don’t you?” he asks. “You know what this is.”
I just stare at him, mesmerized and confused at the same time. So many emotions are whipping through me like a category five hurricane.
“Victoria,” he says as he reaches those big strong ink-stained hands up to my face. I let out an involuntary moan as he cups my cheeks, holding them like they’re the most precious thing he’s ever touched. “We’re mates. You know that, right?”
I swallow hard as I stare into his beautiful icy blue eyes.
I feel foolish that it hadn’t clicked all day, but as soon as he says it, I know it’s true. My reaction to him, my bear’s reaction to him… our history, the intense feelings, the unquenchable yearning I have whenever I think of him, which is always. We must be mates.