Page 25 of Cowboy Bear’s Hope (Motley Crewd Shifters #3)

T here wasn’t much in this world that should scare a grown ass Grizzly Shifter but put me in a room with one tiny, curvy woman who just might be about to tell me to fuck off, and I was a trembling mess of a man.

“Fuck,” I growled, rubbing my hand over my face.

It had been a good half hour since all the others left and, in that time, I showered off the dirt and blood that had streaked my skin.

Most of the scratches and bites were healed by now, but I figured it would be easier for Avery to take if she didn’t have to see me with all that.

It wasn’t Rosie’s fault. She had no knowledge that she was a Shifter, and the precautions others would have taken with their young had not been taught to her.

Her first Change happened as a result of heightened emotions and that could be pretty fucking traumatic. Lucky for Rosie, her mother was who she was. Avery wouldn’t reject or subject her daughter to abuse or harm because of her dual nature.

And I suppose it was lucky that I was there, too. I shuddered to think at what might have occurred if Rosie had shifted and hurt someone by accident.

A vision of Avery covered in blood popped into my brain all of a sudden, and I shoved it away.

No!

It had happened before where a human parent found themselves with a Shifter child to raise. Unfortunately, if the first Change was a surprise, sometimes people got hurt. It was no one’s fault, but tragedies did occur. Casualties, too.

Fuck.

That didn’t happen here, thank fuck.

And it wouldn’t.

Because I wouldn’t fucking let it.

My Grizzly Bear chuffed and snorted inside me. The animal was proud as fuck of Rosie. She did so well out in the woods tonight. Even more amazing was the fact we seemed to share a bond.

Usually that only happened with mated pairs, or Shifters of the same bloodline, or pledged to the same Clan, or in this case, Crew.

Rosie was none of those things. But she was mine. My cub. That was how the Bear saw her, so maybe it wasn’t that unusual after all.

Through our bond, we were able to communicate. To talk to one another, and Lord have mercy, could that child talk.

I grinned as memories of the thousand questions my curious little cub had asked when we were out in our fur.

She was such a smart little girl. And she was going to be an even more amazing adult.

I just hoped Avery was going to let me stick around to be a part of it.

Please don’t leave me.

Chasing her upstairs and begging her to stay was on the tip of my tongue, but I forced myself to wait for her in our bedroom.

I heard Avery closing Rosie’s door, and I braced myself.

This was it. Time to face the music.

I sucked in a breath, trying to settle the Bear and ease the tightness in my chest, but all that came out was a shaky rattle of a growl.

“She’s sound asleep,” Avery’s soft voice reached my ears, and I opened my eyes to see her standing in the doorway.

Goddamn.

My heart seized in my chest, and for once, the Bear shut the hell up. We just stood there, frozen, soaking her in.

She looked so good.

Better than good.

Her hair was soft, falling in gentle waves around her shoulders like she’d stepped out of some dream I hadn’t realized I’d been having my entire life.

And her eyes.

Goddamn.

Those light brown eyes of hers sparkled like sunlight streaming through the forest in summertime, catching on the leaves, and dancing across the ground.

Pure gold.

Just like her heart.

She was still in her scrubs from work, and they weren’t anything fancy. Just a simple lavender set with dancing teddy bears decorating the fabric.

On anyone else, it might have been cute, endearing even. But on her?

She made them look incredible. Sexy, even. I never would’ve guessed that nurse’s attire could make my pulse race, but Avery had a way of turning the mundane into something extraordinary.

Everything about her pulled me in, made me want to reach out and touch, to feel the warmth of her skin under my fingertips, to remind myself she was real.

I’d never felt this kind of pull toward another living being. Not even close.

Maybe that’s why I’d been an old as fuck virgin.

I already knew that was the truth. My bear and I couldn’t stand the idea of touching anyone who wasn’t our mate.

I’d been waiting for Avery. See, she wasn’t just someone. She was my fated mate.

That connection between us, the unshakable bond, made everything with her feel magnified.

Every glance, every smile, every laugh.

And it wasn’t just physical, though God knows that part was undeniable. It was deeper, rawer, like she was tied to the very essence of who I was.

And somehow, impossibly, it grew stronger with every passing minute.

I didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much, to want someone this fiercely. But here I was, standing in front of her, and all I could think about was how much I wanted her.

Not just in the way my body burned for her.

Though, fuck , there definitely was that.

But in every way.

I wanted to know what she was thinking, what kind of day she’d had. I wanted to make her laugh and hold her close and show her just how much she meant to me.

And right now, in this moment, everything hinged on whether or not she would forgive me for not telling her what I suspected about Rosie.

Would she let me in? Or push me away?

“Avery,” I murmured, but she held her hand up and shook her head.

I gasped fear and hurt making my throat stick.

My gaze was locked on her standing there in her lavender scrubs, her hair curling softly around her shoulders.

She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

But was she still mine?

Please be mine.

All my hope was concentrated on that one thing, and fuck, I would have done anything she said if she just said yes.

“Rosie, uh, she barely lasted fifteen minutes till she passed out,” she said, and smiled almost too brightly.

“That’s good,” I murmured. “She did a lot today. Should be tired.”

Avery nodded, wiping at her cheeks, and I just couldn’t stand to be separated from her any longer.

I went over to her and reached for her, touching her face with gentle hands, begging her without words to look at me.

“Oh, Dante,” she said and leaped.

Suddenly, I found myself with my arms full of my woman.

Thank fuck.

Avery wrapped herself around me, arms and legs, and her whole body seemed to quiver as she cried into my neck.

“I’m sorry, Honey. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you what I suspected,” I confessed, kissing her head and squeezing her tight.

“It’s okay,” she sniffed and shook her head, lifting up to look at me. “Why didn’t you, though?”

“I meant to. A dozen times, I meant to. But then I’d get distracted, and I couldn’t be sure, Avery. I’m so sorry. So fucking sorry, you have no idea.”

“But you knew? How?”

“Sometimes, I thought I scented fur. But you never brought up her father, and I didn’t want to seem like a jealous prick,” I growled.

“Are you? Jealous?” she asked, eyes wide.

“Of course, I’m fucking jealous. I mean, I know you had a life before me, Avery, and I love Rosie. I couldn’t love her more. And I didn’t want to make you talk about something you seemed fine forgetting about. Plus, I thought there was time. She is very young,” I murmured, sounding like a fucking idiot.

“It’s okay. I understand. And I get it. I wouldn’t want to talk about any women you’d been with either.”

“I haven’t been with other women.”

“I know. And it makes me wish I hadn’t been with anyone else either. But it was only one time, and I can’t regret it,” she said, shaking her head.

I kissed her temple and nodded. This woman had no idea how precious she was to me.

“Shit. Me either, Honey. I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t handle this all better,” I whispered, and sat on the bed with her in my lap.

Her soft curves molded to my frame, and I was very aware of her hot pussy as she settled it right over my aching cock.

Avery was my only experience with sex, but fuck, if I didn’t want her all the time.

“Look at me, Dante,” she said, and my gaze flew to hers.

“Avery,” I said her name.

It came out like a prayer, soft and reverent, barely louder than a whisper

Maybe it was a prayer.

Because she was my only wish.

My dream come true.

Everything I had ever wanted, and the only thing I would ever need.

She remained right there, her golden eyes meeting mine, and for a moment, the world fell silent.

No sound, no movement, just her. My heart pounded, every beat echoing in my ears as I waited, holding my breath, terrified of what she might say.

“I forgive you,” she said softly, her voice warm and steady.

And fuck, it hit me like a freight train. My heart slammed against my ribs, so hard it hurt.

“You mean it?” I rasped, barely able to get the words out. “You’re not leaving me?”

Her face softened, and she inched closer, her light brown eyes shimmering with something I hadn’t dared to hope for.

“Leaving you?” she said, her voice tinged with disbelief. “Are you crazy? I love you.”

Those three words.

I love you.

They tore through me, shattering every wall I’d built, breaking down every fear I’d clung to.

That was all it took.

The leash broke.

The tight, desperate hold I’d kept on myself snapped, and in an instant, I closed the distance between us.

My hands were on her, cradling her face, pulling her closer like I could somehow make her a permanent part of me.

Fuck, but I needed to do that.

“Too many clothes,” I growled, tearing at her scrubs.

“Yes. Off,” she whimpered, tugging on my shirt.

My lips crashed into hers, fierce and unrelenting, every ounce of love, relief, and need pouring into the kiss.

She was mine.

And she wasn’t leaving.

A low growl rumbled in my chest, my Bear echoing the raw, primal joy coursing through me.

Her hands slid up my arms, clutching at me as though she needed this just as much as I did.

I pulled back for a breath, my forehead resting against hers.

“You don’t know how scared I was,” I murmured, my voice shaking.

“I know,” she whispered, her fingers tracing the curve of my jaw. “But you don’t have to be scared anymore. I’m here, Dante. Me and Rosie are here and we aren’t going anywhere.”

I kissed her again, softer this time, savoring the feel of her lips against mine. Because she was my everything.

And now, I knew she always would be.