Page 10 of Cowboy Bear’s Hope (Motley Crewd Shifters #3)

H eaven.

This was what it felt like. I finally knew. Having Dante’s lips on my body was pure heaven.

I felt like I was skating along the edge of an icy precipice. I needed, fuck, I needed to come, but I didn’t want him to stop what he was doing with his mouth.

“What do you need, Honey? Tell me and you can have it.”

His deep voice rolled over me like a slow, rumbling storm, sending shivers cascading down my spine.

It wasn’t just the sound—it was the way his words covered me.

Rich and resonant, making the air feel charged, like the moment before lightning strikes.

Every syllable seemed to linger, tugging at something primal and electric inside me, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

The question hung there between us. It was real. Like a living thing. And I could see hunger dancing in the pitch black of his gaze.

Is he really asking me what I want?

The thought was almost too much to process. For so long, I’d been navigating a world where choices were made for me, or where I had to sacrifice my own needs for someone else’s.

Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t complaining.

But when you lived in a world where your voice barely registered over the noise, it was hard to comprehend someone just handing you a choice.

But now here he was, right in front of me, offering something I wasn’t sure I knew how to handle.

Control.

The question seemed simple. But it was profound. The weight of it pressed against my chest.

The way he looked at me, his steady gaze silently promising that whatever choice I made, he’d honor it. That he wouldn’t push, wouldn’t take. That he would only ever give was more than I could hope for.

My mind raced with a mix of disbelief and vulnerability.

My heart was racing, half with excitement and half with fear.

His question was a gift in disguise. One I wasn’t sure I’d earned, but I wanted it. Desperately.

Giving me control wasn’t just an act of trust—it was an invitation, a declaration that my desires, my choices, mattered.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt a spark of something unfamiliar but thrilling.

Power.

“I want you, Dante. I want to be with you, but no biting, no claiming just yet. Can you do that?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t fair.

“I can do that, Honey. For you, I can do anything,” he grunted and started taking off my clothes.

“Shirt,” I whimpered, tugging on the hem of his shirt, but he stopped me with soft hands on my wrists.

“I don’t have a six-pack,” Dante blurted. “I mean, I’m bigger than most other men,” he mumbled, pink staining his cheeks.

I froze.

Could it be?

Was this gorgeous man unsure of my attraction to him?

It wasn’t farfetched that men had the same worries and concerns as women did. But Dante was so damn hot, how could he doubt I wanted him?

“Hey, you can hear lies, right? Penny said something like that to me about Shifters,” I began.

“Yeah. Well, it’s not like I have a built in lie detector, but subtle changes in body language and the tone and pitch of your voice give away your emotions. Shifters learn early what happens to someone when you lie, and we can pick up on it.”

“So then you know I’m not lying when I tell you I don’t need a six-pack, Dante. I mean I’m not perfect, either?—”

“Who the fuck said you’re not perfect? You are everything a woman should be, Avery,” he growled, and shivers ran through me.

I wasn’t a Shifter, but the way he was looking at me. Like I was his favorite meal had me all hot, wet, and wanting.

I felt his desire all the way to my core, and it made me tremble.

“To you, maybe,” I said, not even bothering to hide my grin. “But that’s all I need. You . I just need you, Dante.”

“You mean that?”

“You tell me,” I countered, and felt his chest rumble with his Bear.

Oh, but this man felt big to me. And I didn’t mean his size. I meant he was important. Special.

Mine.

“As for looks, you must know you’re ridiculously hot. The first time I saw you I almost swallowed my tongue.”

“You did?”

“Dante, I made an ass of myself twice, throwing myself at you. I’ve wanted you from day one. You know that, right?”

“You never made an ass of yourself. It was my own hang ups that made me falter, but never again, Avery. I swear it.”

My stomach trembled with butterflies as he spilled his secrets, telling me his feelings. Could it be we’d both gotten the wrong idea about each other?

I thought he hated me, and he thought I was indifferent. But nothing could be farther from the truth.

I wasn’t a woman who trusted easily. But I wanted to believe him. And it was time I told him that.

“I believe you, Dante. Now, take off that shirt. Let me see you,” I said.

This time, when I took the bottom of his shirt from his fingertips, Dante allowed it. I tugged the soft cotton over his head, revealing hard, warm, bronzed skin and all the air seemed to get sucked right out of the room.

How could he think he was anything other than gorgeous?

I was frozen in my study of him. Held captive by the masculine beauty that graced his form. Every curve of muscle was a work of art. Every swirl of dark hair, perfection.

My heart thudded, the pace increasing and I wondered if it was possible to come apart without ever touching.

Excitement filled me. An eagerness I never felt before.

“You too, Honey. I wanna see my girl,” he rumbled.

Dante’s big hands slid up my sides, and I had one moment of doubt as they skimmed the soft rolls of my belly, but he just kept on humming his approval and I didn’t have time for self-consciousness.

He moved them behind my back and unhooked my bra. It took him two tries, but it only endeared him to me. It was silly, but I was damn happy he fumbled.

I was glad Dante wasn’t some wannabe Romeo. Truth was I hardly noticed, since I was, at that moment, drooling over his deliciously thick body.

What had he said about not having a six-pack?

He was crazy to worry about that. I mean, the man was insanely hot.

“You keep looking at me like that, Honey, and I’m bound to make a meal of you.”

“I can’t help it,” I whispered, “Dante, you are so beautiful.”

My hands were steady as I brushed them across his pecs and his shoulders, trailing my fingers down to his hard stomach.

“You’re the one that’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like you,” he purred and dropped a hard kiss on my lips.

Then he got busy, peeling my pants along with my panties down my legs, and for the first time I wasn’t obsessing about my cellulite or wondering if I missed any spots when I shaved before work.

He made me feel seen, cherished, even. Like I was the only woman in the world. And, well, there was simply no comparison to that.

Next to him I felt small, petite. I wasn’t the fat girl, or the single mom with a pretty face but too plump body.

Dante looked at me with desire, and it had been a really long time since I felt so good about myself.

“Lift your feet,” he murmured, and I did, allowing him to finish undressing me.

His shoulders were massive, but he was so gentle with my things as he removed them unhurriedly. His chest was still rumbling, and I liked the sound of it very much.

My eyes dipped to his lap.

I’d managed to take off his buckle and undo his pants, but there was no way I could remove them without his help.

His cock pulsed beneath the dark gray fabric of his boxer briefs, the outline teasing me with his incredible size and girth.

Oh, there was no denying the strength and power of his build. Dante was all kinds of hot.

Hell, the man was literal fire. And I was so ready for him.

“Come here, Honey,” he growled, running his nose first, then his lips across my belly as he picked me up.

I gasped and clutched his arms, but he just grinned and lifted me higher.

“What are you doing?” I asked, eyes wide.

Dante’s smile turned positively feral as he leaned his back against the couch and hoisted me up, so I was sitting on his chest.

“Drop those legs on either side of my head. Good girl,” he instructed.

I was so shocked, I just did it. I opened my legs and placed my thighs one on each of his broad shoulders.

Arousal gushed inside my core, and I bit my lip, afraid it was going to drip onto him.

“You smell so fucking good,” he growled, and his eyes darkened as he breathed in deeply.

His growl vibrated through me, and Dante did it again. He sucked in a big gulp of air. Like he was desperate to swallow more of my scent. And fuck, that was hot.

I felt open, vulnerable, and so fucking turned on, I could hardly speak.

“I-I’ll crush you,” I whispered.

I was one part desperate to move closer, and sit on his face, and another part terrified I was going to suffocate him in that position.

“A little thing like you? No way. Now, be my good girl, Honey. Sit on my face and let me taste you,” he growled.

I trembled with need as Dante fastened his enormous hands to my hips and pushed me forward so my pussy was right up against his seeking lips.

“Oh my God!” I moaned at the first nuzzle.

This was nothing I’d ever done. I felt wanton and wild. Completely and utterly feminine as he cradled me to him and kissed me sweetly.

“Fuck,” he breathed the word. “So sweet. Like fucking honey.”

I whimpered and held on as he pressed his nose against my slit, inhaling my scent.

Then I was speechless as Dante just made out with my pussy. I mean that exactly as I said it. The sexy man placed hot, openmouthed kisses on my nether lips.

Sliding his tongue between my folds, he groaned as he swallowed the moisture that pooled between my legs. I couldn’t help it. My ovaries were going off like fireworks, he was so fucking hot.

I was almost embarrassed by how wet he made me.

Almost being the key word.

But the truth was, it felt too good for me to be self-conscious. I had neither the time nor the inclination to do anything but enjoy the ride.

And what a ride.

“Christ, you taste divine. Like hot honey and daffodils. Sunshine and rain. I’m addicted to you already,” he moaned and lapped at my slit.

His filthy words sounded so good. I moaned at his praise and naughty confessions. My fingers dug into his scalp, holding him to me as he feasted on my body.

The next swipe of his tongue sent spirals of electricity racing up my spine, and I knew I wasn’t going to last long.

“Oh fuck. Dante!”

“Am I hurting you?” he asked, lifting his head.

My body heated at the sight of my slick glistening on his lips. He never looked so good as he did right then. Never looked so much like mine.

My chest tightened and I could hardly breathe. I wanted to kiss him. To fuck him. To beg him for his bite and to make him mine for good.

But I was still uncertain.

I had more to consider than just my needs. I had Rosie. And Dante too.

His desires needed to be taken into consideration. My pulse raced and my chest thundered with the force of my heartbeat.

“Stay with me, Honey. Stay right here. Answer me. Am I hurting you?”

Just like that, I calmed down. Well, my panic receded. My body, however, was drawn tight like a bow just begging to be released.

“No. Not at all. Please, Dante, do it again. It feels so good,” I moaned, rocking my hips against his face.

“Mine,” he rumbled, and fuck, I liked the sound of that.

His eyes bled to complete black as he leaned forward, sucking on my clit with his amazing mouth.

Geezus, I never felt anything like him. It was like he had more appendages than even I could comprehend as he ate me like a starving man.

He worked my clit with his lips and shoved his tongue deep into my pussy, fucking me so good. I moaned his name and rocked my hips in time with his thrusts. Pleasure built and built until suddenly it was right there.

I froze, arching my back, when my climax hit me like a fresh bolt of lightning. It was too much. It wasn’t enough.

The world spun upside down, or maybe that was just me. Next thing I knew, I was lying on my back on the soft rug in front of the fire and Dante was on his knees between my splayed legs. He had one hand wrapped around his thick cock and he tugged himself twice, three times, before ropes of hot cum landed on my skin.

It was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen. When he finished coming, he leaned forward and crushed his mouth to mine.

And I accepted his kiss, willingly, desperately. Nothing had ever felt as right as Dante’s lips on mine.

I hope he keeps me.