Page 25 of The Bear’s Second Chance Mate (Bear Creek Forever: Thornberg Vineyard #5)

Nero always has a sixth sense when it comes to the perfect fit, his bear said happily.

June stared at it. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed.

“Just like you.” Stanley leaned in.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Stanley’s response was to capture her lips with his. June melted against him, her body soft and yielding as she pressed closer. The kiss deepened, slow and deliberate, his tongue seeking hers.

His hands found the hem of her shirt, his fingers trembling slightly as they slipped beneath to touch heated skin.

June shivered against him, her own hands working at the buttons of his flannel shirt.

As they undressed, they explored each other’s bodies with gentle caresses and feather-light kisses.

When the last of their clothes fell away, Stanley traced the curve of her breast with his thumb, watching as her eyes fluttered closed, her lips parting on a soft sigh. The sight of her—naked, vulnerable, his—kicked his desire up a notch.

June’s hand slid down his stomach, her fingers wrapping around his hardness with gentle pressure. Stanley groaned, his hips jerking involuntarily as she stroked him, learning what made his breath catch, what made him moan her name.

“June,” he breathed, his voice rough with need as he slipped his hand between her thighs, finding her slick and ready. She gasped, her body arching into him as he circled her sensitive flesh, dipping inside to feel her clench around his fingers.

She moved suddenly, pushing him back onto the sofa as she straddled him in one fluid motion. The sight of her, silhouetted by firelight, stole the breath from his lungs.

“I want you,” she murmured, positioning herself over him. “Now and for always.”

Stanley’s hands found her hips as she sank down onto him, taking him in one slow, exquisite motion. They both stilled, overwhelmed by the sensation of being joined so completely.

Ours, his bear growled low inside him, the word vibrating through every nerve ending.

Then June began to move, her hips circling around and around. Stanley watched in awe as she rode him, her eyes locked on his as she took her pleasure. Her scent wrapped around him, sweet and warm, triggering something primal and protective deep in his chest.

He licked his lips, needing to taste her skin. His mouth found her breast, tongue circling the sensitive peak before drawing it between his lips. June moaned and closed her eyes, her fingers threading through his hair, holding him to her as she continued to rock against him.

Her nails dug into his shoulders, sharp crescents of pleasure-pain that made his bear growl with primal satisfaction. The sound rumbled through Stanley’s chest.

Like a mating call only she could answer—she was his, here, now.

Stanley’s control slipped, the need to claim her, to mark her as his, almost overwhelming.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight against him as he thrust upward, meeting her movement for movement. June gasped, her eyes flying open to meet his, dark with desire and something deeper, more profound.

“Stanley,” she breathed, her voice breaking on his name as they moved together, finding a rhythm that spoke of desire, of belonging. Of the binding of souls that only mates could know.

Her movements grew more frantic, her breathing ragged against his ear. Stanley slipped his hand between their bodies, finding where they were joined, circling the bundle of nerves that would send her over the edge.

June cried out, her body tensing, and then she came around him. The sight of her coming undone, the feel of her pulsing around him, triggered his own release. Stanley buried his face against her neck as he filled her, his hips jerking upward as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through him.

“June,” he gasped. “My June.”

As their orgasms faded, Stanley cradled her against his chest, unable to let go even as their breathing slowed and their skin cooled.

June traced lazy patterns on his chest, her touch feather-light but grounding. “I can’t believe I almost left,” she whispered.

Stanley pressed a kiss to her temple, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. “But you didn’t. You’re here.”

“I’m here,” she agreed, shifting to look up at him, her eyes serious in the dim light. “And I’m staying. Not just because it’s easier, or because Oli loves it here, but because this—us—is what I want. What I choose.”

Stanley’s heart ached with happiness and longing. She had chosen him, chosen them, not out of obligation or convenience, but desire. His bear rumbled contentedly, finally at peace.

“We’ll build something beautiful,” he promised, tracing the curve of her cheek with his thumb. “A life, a home, a future. Together.”

June smiled, pressing a kiss to his palm. “We already have. We’ve built it without even realizing it, right here, where we’re safe, where we belong.”

Stanley held her closer, letting his senses imprint everything about her, her scent, her warmth, the faint echo of her heartbeat against his. So that even if the years changed them, this moment would remain etched in him.

His bear settled down and rested his head on his paws, content at last, in the knowledge that their mate was truly, irrevocably theirs. Forever.