Page 37 of Flare (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #17)

Ward moved up her body, his cock sliding against her wet heat as he settled between her thighs. The sensation was exquisite torture, so close to where he desperately needed to be.

“ Please, Ward,” Emily whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist. “ I need you inside me now.”

He braced himself on one elbow, using his free hand to guide himself to her entrance. The moment the head of his cock slipped inside her tight heat, Ward had to grit his teeth against the urge to thrust home immediately.

“ Look at me,” he said, waiting until her blue eyes met his. “ I love you, Emily.”

“ I love you too,” she answered, and he could see the truth of it shining in her eyes.

With one slow, steady thrust, Ward buried himself to the hilt inside her.

They both gasped at the sensation—the perfect, indescribable feeling of being joined completely.

Ward held still for a long moment, overwhelmed by the tight, wet heat of her body gripping his cock, by the love he saw written across her face, by the knowledge that this woman had chosen him, all of him.

Then Emily shifted beneath him, her hips lifting in silent demand.

Ward started slow, savoring each drag and thrust, memorizing the way her breath hitched when he hit a particular spot deep inside her. But soon, the need for more overcame his desire to draw things out. His thrusts became harder, faster.

“ Yes,” Emily moaned, her nails digging into his shoulders. “ God, Ward, just like that.”

He could feel his climax building at the base of his spine, a gathering pressure that demanded release. But he was determined to bring Emily over the edge with him. He slipped a hand between their bodies, finding her clit with his thumb and circling it in time with his thrusts.

“ Come for me again,” he growled, feeling his control slipping. “ Come with me, Em.”

Her inner walls fluttered around him, the first tremors of her orgasm sending waves of pleasure through his cock. Ward drove into her harder, deeper, chasing their mutual release.

“ Ward!” Emily cried out as she shattered beneath him, her body clenching around him in powerful pulses.

The sight of her coming undone, the feel of her body milking his cock, and the knowledge that this was his mate—his forever—pushed Ward over the edge. His climax tore through him with shattering force, his cock pulsing inside her as he spilled his seed deep inside her.

And in that moment of perfect unity, he felt it happen.

The mating bond snapped into place like a puzzle piece finding its home, a warm golden thread connecting his soul to Emily ’ s.

It was stronger, more profound than he ’ d expected—a sense of completion so absolute that tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

“ Oh,” Emily gasped, her eyes wide with wonder. “ I can feel you. Inside my head, but also… everywhere.”

Ward smiled down at her, his heart so full he thought it might burst. “ That ’ s the bond,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. “ We ’ re mated now, Em, forever.”

She reached up to touch his face, her expression filled with awe. “ It ’ s beautiful.”

They stayed joined for long moments, exchanging soft kisses and gentle touches as they adjusted to the new connection between them. Ward stayed buried inside her, unwilling to lose their connection even for a moment.

“ How do you feel?” he asked, brushing damp strands of hair from her forehead.

Emily ’ s smile was luminous. “ Complete. Happy.” She pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his heart. “ And nowhere near finished with you.”

Ward raised an eyebrow, his cock still hard. “ Is that right?”

“ Mmm,” she hummed, sliding a hand down his torso. “ I believe you promised me all night, Mr. Swanson.”

His bear rumbled with satisfaction as Ward rolled them over, until Emily sat astride him, his cock buried to the hilt inside her wet heat. “ And I keep my promises, Mrs. Almost-Swanson. Always.”

They made love again and again throughout the night, exploring each other ’ s bodies with familiarity and passion.

Ward rediscovered all the places that made Emily gasp and moan—the sensitive spot behind her ear, the inside of her wrists, the delicate arch of her foot.

He touched her in ways that brought her right up to the edge, then held her there until she was squirming and begging for release.

And Emily proved she ’ d studied his body as well, her hands and mouth driving him to heights of pleasure he ’ d never experienced before.

In the small hours of the morning, as they lay tangled together in the sheets, sweat-slicked and satisfied, Ward felt a peace he ’ d never known.

Emily ’ s head rested on his chest, her breathing slow and even as sleep claimed her.

The bond between them hummed with contentment, a warm, steady presence in his mind that assured him of her happiness, her safety, her love.

As his own eyes grew heavy, Ward pressed a last kiss to the top of Emily ’ s head. He looked forward to the joy of waking beside her every morning for the rest of their lives.

And when morning came, he planned to make love to his new mate all over again before whipping up a batch of blueberry pancakes for her.