Free The Bear's Reluctant Wolf by Jenika Snow Page B

played over and over again in his head. “Besides, I kind of like this prickly side of you. It makes
fighting you more fun.” She was good at calming the situation and bringing his
bear down a few notches, but that didn’t mean her words were true. Trace knew
what he was, and this was the first time in his life where he wished he wasn’t
so hard, wasn’t so rage-filled, and was able to be the softly spoken mate she
deserved.
    He wanted to kiss her like no other, but
he needed to finish telling her everything. “I went ballistic over it, Candace,
tore my best friend out of the bed and beat him until he was within an inch of
his life. And the only reason I didn’t finish him off was because Karla called
Maverick, and he got there in time to drag me off the motherfucker.” She didn’t
flinch at the way he spoke about Dale, about the way he growled the last word,
letting it be absolutely clear that he wished Maverick hadn’t pulled him off of
the human male he had once been close with. “Do you understand what I’m saying,
Candace?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer, just took another step toward
her until their chests brushed together. “If it wasn’t for Maverick stopping
me, I’d be in jail because I would have ripped Dale’s fucking throat out.” He
lowered his eyes to her mouth, saw her lips part, and knew that what he was
about to do, after he had just told her, was fucked up. “And I wouldn’t have
fucking cared that I took his life. In fact, I would have felt pretty damn good
about it.” He lifted his eyes to look into hers, saw the bone-searing need
reflected back at him, and knew she wouldn’t stop what he was about to do. He
reached out, gripped a chunk of her hair, and tilted her head back. The bear in
him rose up, growled and bared its teeth as he took in the long, graceful arch
of her neck. His canines lengthened, and he moved closer, running the tip of
his nose up her throat. His mark would look really fucking good on her. He
inhaled again and again, and knew he would never get enough. She smelled sweet
and clean, and all fucking his.
    “ Mine .”
He tightened his hold, knowing that there was a flash of pain in his grip, but
also scenting that she was growing wetter by the minute. “Do you hear me,
Candace?” She gasped, and he said, “You’re fucking mine, baby. All. Mine.” He ran his canines over her flesh, loved that
she reached out and held onto his arms, and pulled her closer. “You feel how
hard I am for you?” She nodded, and he fucking loved that she closed her eyes,
as if they were too heavy for her to keep open. “You see what kind of bastard I
am, to be hard for you after I told you I almost killed a man that betrayed my
trust?” The sound of her heart beating fast, like a frightened little rabbit,
shouldn’t have turned him on, but it did. “I would scare the fuck out of you if
I told you all the things I want to do to your body.” She slowly opened her
eyes, piercing him with the crystalline color.
    “What do you want to do to me?” Her
voice was so low that he had to strain to hear, but he understood her well
enough. His bear rose up violently. Trace’s nails grew into claws, his body got
bigger, and his muscles expanded as the animal inside of him fought for
ultimate supremacy. He would have shifted right then if his human self wasn’t
just as strong as the alpha bastard inside of him.
    “I’d rip every single piece of clothing
that covers your body, bend you over my bike, and fuck you until you couldn’t
walk straight for a damn week.” Her chest rose and fell frantically, and he
dipped his gaze down to see her large breasts press against her shirt. The
material was snug against her body, and even though he could see the outline of
her bra, the constraint did nothing to hide her hard nipples just aching for
his mouth. “And when you couldn’t take anymore—” He wrapped his other hand
around her hip and moved them backward until she was forced