Free Ride the Wicked Woodsman (A Night Falls Alpha Werebear Shapeshifter Romance) by Christa Wick Page B

then relaxed. "You're not going anywhere without me until you can transform. You showed an alpha's strength tossing her like a rag doll without shifting. When you can actually shift, you won't need my protection."
    A harsh laugh escaped me. "If you're going to wait until I can shift to cut me loose, I'm pretty sure that means you're stuck with me forever. You might want to reconsider your terms for my departure."
    I wasn't going to lend any credence to his alpha remark by telling him how very wrong he was on that point. One couldn't be an alpha without shifting and holding the middle state. I could do neither.
    "Not happening," he answered, his free hand coming up to brush some of the hair from my face.
    Meeting his gaze, I tried not to think about how our bodies were molding together or how good he smelled with the day's cares freshly washed from his skin.
    Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead against mine and held it there as he spoke.
    "I'm not your family, Onyx. I'm not going to fail you and I sure as fuck am not going to abandon you. I'm not even going to let you drive me away until I know you'll be safe without me."
    Chewing at my lip, I started to squirm beneath him, his vow sinking into my skin like razors. I wanted him to mean what he was saying, to believe that at that moment he actually did. But everyone eventually failed me, even those who had once claimed to love me.
    And if he was true to his word -- I would be his ruin.
    So I had to get away and he wasn't going to entertain the idea until I could shift.
    I squeezed his hand. "How are you going to help me shift?"
    Taron rolled to one side and settled on his back. "Straddle me."
    I coughed, shock rattling around inside my chest. Had he just ordered me to mount him?
    He rolled his eyes then offered up a snort. "Don't be a prude. We're both dressed."
    I plucked at his towel, my bottom lip jutting out to one side in contradiction of his claim.
    "Close enough," he laughed. "Just give it a try. You can stop if it gets uncomfortable."
    Beautiful, dumb male -- it already was uncomfortable!
    Huffing my doubt and reservations, I climbed onto Taron, my weight settling mostly on my knees so that I hovered over his groin without putting any pressure on him. His hands wrapped around my hips and pulled me down, then remained there so that I couldn't readily lift up.
    "Put your palms on my chest."
    We were way, way past my comfort level but I obeyed.
    "Close your eyes."
    "Come on, bear, I'm not that stupid!"
    His gold-brown gaze danced with mischief for a second before sobering. "Just go with it. You'll know when it's time for you to open your eyes. Until then, keeping them closed will help you feel what I want you to feel."
    Hoping that unnamed thing he wanted me to feel wasn't the cock growing hard against my mound, I obeyed him and closed my eyes.
    "Open your mind," he softly suggested. "I want you to feel with every last pore of your skin."
    I wiggled against him, my clothes suddenly feeling like they were filled with fire ants.
    "Shh," he whispered, his hands leaving my hips to rub against my arms. He touched my shoulders. "Feel it here, first."
    His heat penetrated my body, the sensation concentrated where his fingers touched me. The warmth turned to tingling as he ran his hands back down to where my palms rested against his broad chest.
    "Now here." He lifted them, kept them captured gently with his own then spread his arms out, the maneuver forcing my torso down so that my breasts pressed against him.
    A breath quivered past my lips, but I kept my eyes closed. A smile played at my mouth as I remembered the old records my grandmother had played.
    Marvin Gaye, Midnight Love, Track 2 -- (Sexual) Healing
    Would it really make things worse if I let this happen one time, if I let the big bear I had my legs wrapped around seduce me? I relaxed into the idea, my body melting against his, holding him and held by him yet floating.
    That's when I opened my eyes and saw my