Page 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lainey

I ’m gripping the steering wheel with my heart pounding as I watch Julian reach up to grab something—a key probably.

But my eyes aren’t focused on his hands. They’re wandering over everything else.

This rugged, sexy man is butt-naked.

I pulled up across the road from the tattoo shop and just as I was about to get out of my car, I saw a massive grizzly bear walk into the parking lot. Not wanting to be bitten in half, I stayed in Carly’s car, waiting until it wandered off, but it didn’t.

No. Something else entirely happened.

I watched in shock as that giant grizzly bear started shaking and morphing into that hot, naked man over there.

Julian is a bear shifter.

That’s why I was so shaken this afternoon. That’s why I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. That’s why I’ve been feeling so drawn to him. Been aching for him .

I think… I’m his mate.

I stare at his broad muscular back and hard sculpted ass as it all comes together.

I’ve heard about bear shifters before, but I thought they were a myth. A legend. Something only those crazies on the internet believe in.

But now…

It’s the only thing to explain this feeling I have ripping through me.

I remember reading about bear shifters online. About how they’ll wait forever for their mate. How they’ll only ever want that one woman destined by fate to be theirs.

I thought it was so romantic. A little far-fetched, but romantic.

I remember wishing I could have a love affair like that.

I touch my tingling neck as Julian turns around, looking at the empty parking lot. He turns enough that I can see his long thick cock. The tantalizing sight makes my whole body come alive. I feel all shaky inside as he takes a deep breath.

I’m staring at it in shock. It’s so… big . So… captivating.

I should look away. I really should.

But I can’t.

I’ve never seen a naked man before, and if I’m going to get my first look, I can’t imagine a better one than this. It makes me glad I waited all these years.

Julian is pure masculine perfection. Broad shoulders, thick arms covered in intricate tattoos, only now I can see how they trail down his ribs, along the V-cut under his abs, ending low on his hips. His body is all solid muscle, like he was carved from something unbreakable, something untamed. His skin glows under the light of the porch, golden and warm. He looks magical. He’s a shifter. He is magical.

But as beautiful as the rest of him is, my eyes can’t stop sliding back down…

I swallow hard as my gaze drops to the heavy length of him. He’s big. Thick. Long. A slow heat curls in my belly, spreading lower, making me press my thighs together. I can’t stop staring.

My mouth waters. My hands tingle with the need to touch and explore. I want him.

God, I shouldn’t be watching this. But it’s like I’m caught in a trance, my body vibrating with something primal, something instinctual.

Julian steps forward, bare feet on the wooden porch, completely unbothered by his nakedness. He slides the key into the front door of the quiet tattoo shop and disappears inside.

Panic flares in my chest. I don’t want to lose sight of him.

I came all this way…

Before I can stop myself, my hand is on the car door. I push it open and step out into the night.

“Julian.”

His name leaves my lips like a prayer, soft but certain.

He steps back out and looks my way.

Our eyes meet, and everything shifts.

No words pass between us, but something else does. A spark. A pull. An energy that tightens around us like an invisible thread, drawing us closer, pulling us together. His chest rises and falls, his jaw tightening as he stares at me like I’m the most precious thing he’s ever seen.

Like he’s been waiting for me.

I run across the dark empty road, my pulse racing as I get closer to him. I stop at the steps of the porch, looking up at him with a feeling like this can’t be real surging through me. How can this be real life?

Julian’s eyes are roaming over me, slow and savoring, like he’s memorizing every detail. Like he can’t quite believe this is real life either.

My body tingles under that heated gaze. I like having his eyes on me. I love the way they look so possessive like he’s ready to claim me as his own .

His sexy lips part and his chest rises with a deep inhale, as if he’s trying to breathe me in.

I don’t move. I can’t.

The air between us is thick and charged. Something deeper than just attraction is crackling between us.

Then he exhales and rubs a rough hand over his jaw. His expression shifts, like he’s remembering something. Something serious.

His gaze drops to my shoulder and a flicker of regret darkens his face.

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice raw and gravelly. “The tattoo… I didn’t mean to…”

I reach over my shoulder, pressing my fingers to the spot where his name is now permanently etched into my skin. My heart is hammering, but my voice comes out steady.

“Why did you do it?”

He swallows hard. His dark eyes burn into mine, wild and unfiltered, filled with something deep. Something desperate.

“Because I wanted you to be mine.” His voice is a rough whisper, but every word hits me like a strike of lightning. “I wasn’t thinking. My instincts took over. It was primal. It was…”

“Fate?”

His eyes are so piercing. They grip me. They seize my soul.

“ Yes .”

“We’re mates, aren’t we?”

He takes a deep breath and my heart races. “We are.”

A shiver runs through me at the intensity in his voice, at the weight of his words.

We’re meant to be together. He’s the man for me.

In this moment I know it’s true. The weight of it cements itself in my soul.

Everything changes.

“I felt like I ruined everything with that tattoo,” he says, looking crushed .

“You didn’t,” I say as I run my fingertips over it.

Because the crazy thing is… I don’t hate it.

I never did.

I like that his name is on me.

I want to be his.

“The truth is,” I say as I slowly walk up the creaky wooden steps, coming face to face with him. “The tattoo—the white lily—it was supposed to be a pledge to my soulmate. It was meant to be a promise to my future husband. To let him know that I was waiting for him.”

He tilts his head slightly as he listens to me.

“So, it doesn’t matter,” I tell him. “It was always for you anyway.”

He’s holding his breath. I think I’m holding mine too.

“A flower, or your name,” I say, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. “It’s the vow that matters.”

He steps forward and I shiver as he slides his hand onto my arm.

My eyes drop to his mouth. His lips are so sexy. Everything about this man is sexy.

He brushes his fingers against my cheek, trailing down to my jaw with the gentlest touch. “Lainey,” he whispers, my name rolling off his tongue like he’s savoring it, like it belongs to him now.

I don’t wait. I don’t think.

I rise onto my toes and tilt my chin up.

I’m not sure if I kiss him or he kisses me, but my breath is ripped out of my lungs as our lips connect.

His kiss is hungry and desperate, like he’s been waiting for this moment forever. And maybe he has. Maybe we both have. A low possessive growl rumbles in his chest as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer, gripping me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear again.

The night hums around us—crickets chirping in the distance, the faint sound of cars on the distant highway. The air is crisp and cool, but Julian is like a scorching bonfire, his warmth wrapping around me and making everything just right.

God, I could sink into this kiss forever. This moment, this man, this kiss… it feels like home. It feels… right .

I break away, breathless, my palms sliding up and down his big strong arms. His forehead rests against mine, his chest rising and falling in unsteady breaths.

Then, my gaze drops.

Oh .

My eyes widen when I see his long thick erection standing straight up between us, rock hard and ready to go.

My cheeks burn red as I stare at it, knowing this incredible man is hard for me .

“Sorry,” Julian says, cursing under his breath as he steps away.

“It’s okay,” I whisper, not able to take my eyes off it.

But he’s already in motion, ripping an old tin sign right off the wooden wall like it’s made of paper, sending the rusted screws flying.

He covers his erection with it, looking a little embarrassed. He doesn’t have to be embarrassed, and he definitely doesn’t have to cover it up.

“I keep messing everything up,” he says, his jaw tight. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment every day for all twenty-seven years of my life. I never thought I’d mess up this badly.”

I slide my hand down his chest, feeling his heart pounding under all that muscle.

“You’re not doing so bad,” I say, licking my lips.

His fierce green eyes soften as he looks at me. “Lainey, let me fix this. The tattoo. Let me make it right.”

My friends would freak out if they knew I was here. If they knew I was about to give this guy a second chance.

“I don’t want you to be upset with me.”

“I’m not,” I tell him .

“For your friends then,” he says. “So at least they don’t hate me.”

“Okay,” I whisper, smiling as I take his hand. “Let’s go inside.”

He opens the door and we step inside, about to try this again.