Free The Cowbear's Christmas Bride (Curvy Bear Ranch 4) by Liv Brywood

mean.” She slid her hand into his and moved a bit closer.
    His arm tingled where it touched her. Even through their heavy jackets, he could sense her heat. More than anything, he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss away her loneliness—and his.
    “Can I ask you something?” she said.
    “Sure.”
    “Why are you still single?”
    “I just haven’t found a mat—the right woman for me.” He cut himself off before he could say “mate.” That was always a barrier to a long-lasting relationship. At some point, he would have to confess that he was a shifter. He’d made it to that point in the relationship twice before the women took off screaming.
    “What about you?” he asked. “Why are you still single?”
    “I never really dated much. The guys in New York are basically after one thing—sex. I want more than that. I want someone I can raise a family with, someone I can count on to be there for me. Someone like…”
    “What?” he asked.
    “Oh, Hank. This is going to sound crazy because I’ve only known you for a couple of days.”
    “Tell me.” As he leaned closer to her, his heart beat faster.
    “I want someone like you. Someone who isn’t afraid to help a complete stranger. Someone who’s willing to go out of his way to make me happy. You did that and you didn’t even know me. That’s a lot more than any of my boyfriends would have done.”
    “Come here,” he whispered.
    As she slipped into his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I wish you lived in New York.”
    “I wish you lived here,” he countered.
    “I’ve never lived anywhere but the city. I have a job and an apartment. I don’t have very many friends, but I have a few. Well, okay, they’re mostly my coworkers, but that still counts,” she stammered.
    “I understand why you wouldn’t want to move away from the place you’ve lived your entire life. I couldn’t imagine moving away from my home.” As he stroked her back, his voice deepened. “That’s why I shouldn’t be holding you like this.”
    “I’ll tell you one thing…”
    “What?”
    “No one’s ever kissed me the way you do,” she murmured.
    The huskiness in her voice broke the last vestige of restraint. He clasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted it up. As he gazed into her eyes, her tongue flicked out to moisten her bottom lip.
    He groaned, already wanting her naked and wet beneath him. Every move she made was pure torture. He couldn’t stand to be apart from her for another second.
    His fingers laced into her silky hair as he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss that sent blood rushing to the hot, thick part of himself that he struggled to hide. It was no use. His erection pressed up against the fabric of his jeans with such rigidity that there was no way she didn’t feel it.
    When her lips parted slightly, he slipped his tongue into her mouth. A quick swipe of his tongue across hers brought a deep sigh of pleasure from her throat. He slid his hands down from her hair, across her back, and down to cup her ass. Oh hell, it was just as firm as he’d imagined.
    “Oh God,” she murmured when he finally broke the kiss.
    He wasn’t done—far from it. Instead, he left a trail of soft kisses across her jaw and down her throat. She tipped her head back and grabbed his shoulders as she swayed in his lap.
    The taste of her intoxicated his senses. His bear rolled and jumped and leapt for joy as he found a tender spot just below her earlobe. She shivered and ground against him.
    “You taste so good,” he whispered.
    She responded with a whimper.
    “Especially right here.” He nuzzled her neck before pulling her collar down a bit so he could nibble her exposed flesh.
    Her hands drifted up to unzip his jacket. When she pushed it over his shoulders, he wiggled out of it. She ran her hands down his chest.
    “You’re so hard all over,” she murmured.
    “You have no idea.”
    “I think I do.” She gave him a pointed look.
    He