4. Chapter Four
The gorgeous woman lying smack dab in the center of my bed like a queen startles at the sound of my voice, letting out a gasp and a short scream as she bolts upright.
I step backward, wincing at her volume.
“Who am I? Who are you? Why are you in my room? Don’t come any closer. I’m warning you, I know krav maga!” She flails her arms, reaching under the pillow and scattering the objects on the nightstand around as she searches for something. “Mace. I’ve got mace somewhere.”
“I’m not going to hurt you. I own the place.” I don’t mean to shout or scare her, but it takes every ounce of my effort to control my bear who is driving me to dive into bed with her and nuzzle against her skin. What is wrong with me?
No woman’s had this effect on me before and it’s disorienting. Folding my arms across my chest, I frown when she sits up and my eyes travel over her mussed blonde strands gathered into a sloppy bun, the blackout eye mask shoved up to her forehead, and the long column of her throat. The curve of her bare shoulder catches my eye as one of the skinny straps of her top slips down, exposing the edge of a curious tattoo on the swell of her breast. Something wild and wanting stirs inside me as my bear paces back and forth excitedly. The desire to see more, know more, gets my blood pumping south.
She tilts her head to the side, a puzzled look on her face as she squints at me. “Huh. Funny. You don’t look like a Melanie Osborne.”
“Melanie’s my mom, and Wilderwood Camp is a family operation.”
“Right. Okay. So, what are you doing in my room again?”
“You’re. In. My. House.” I growl and bite into the sweet honey nut oatmeal muffin she’d obviously made when she’d been throwing flour and the last of my porridge oats all over my countertops. The flavors coating my tongue make my eyes roll back in sheer bliss.
Shit, it’s sweet and sinful.
Wonder if she tastes the same.
I nearly choke as I swallow and talk around another scrumptious mouthful. “You made a mess of my kitchen. And you left food out—a dangerous temptation. Didn’t anyone tell you there are bears in these parts? Our sense of smell is incredible, and we can sniff out sweet stuff like this for miles. Oh, and you broke my chair.”
“What? Is this about the food?” She rubs her eyebrow and reaches back to yank her lopsided ponytail out.
I watch, mesmerized, as her golden hair tumbles down over her shoulder. She shakes her head from side to side, and her heavy, freed breasts jiggle under the silk, making it impossible to ignore the points of her hardened nipples that poke through her top. Her skin looks so soft, but it’s her scent that wafts over to me and up my nostrils that’s killing me.
Honeysuckle. Sugar. Tea. And something a little extra.
I swallow hard. My bear is snuffling and whining, itching to get closer and pacing.
That woman, the one who could’ve killed me three nights ago, smelled just like that. Scents are signatures, and my shifter gifts are sharper than most. Even when I’m in my human form, I never forget a scent.
“You!” Shock and accusation laces the word, just as surely as if I was pointing right at her. Well, I am. Just with a muffin in my hand, not with my actual finger.
The pretty, curvy blonde snatches thick black-rimmed glasses from their precarious position on the nightstand and jams them on her face. When she turns the full force of her evergreen eyes on me, I feel like I’m caught in a bear trap.
Immobile. Shocked. Something not unlike pain, but not exactly painful, ripples through me as my bear roars in my ears.
What the f—
“I can’t believe it’s you,” I breathe.
Her eyes drop down to her lap and she fiddles with the bedspread, smoothing it out. I don’t know what’s up with the sudden change in demeanor. It’s like her walls have just come up.
“Oh. Yeah, it’s me. Aurelia Golding. But seeing as you’ve barged in on me in my pajamas and helped yourself to my ultra-special honey nut oatmeal muffins, you can call me Rae. All my friends do.”
Rae Golding. The name rings a bell. Where have I heard it before?
Then, in an instant, a tripwire flips in my brain. Recognition cuts through to my core, making my heartbeat thump hard and fast. With all my instincts firing at once, I’m left paralyzed and processing in the damn doorway.
A memory flashes—my mom and her book club group seated by heaving bookshelves full of shirtless, muscle-ripped men, all giggling and swooning over a set of thick-ass hardcovers involving shifters, magical folk, and monstrous beings of all types. The series is supposed to conclude with a massive on-site fan event here next year…
Holy shit. Rae Golding, creator of all that madness, is in my house.
In my bed.
And she’s—
Mine, my bear growls. My mate.
I stand there like a fucking idiot, holding the half-eaten muffin out at her. “You’re Rae Golding?”
She draws a steadying breath. “Yep. That’s me!” The smile she aims at me looks fragile and fake. Too bright and too wobbly. I don’t like it one bit. I preferred the sexy, unperturbed blonde who was threatening to krav maga my ass a minute ago. “As you can imagine, I’ve got things to do, words to write, and food to eat. Assuming you haven’t stolen all my muffins.”
“I haven’t stolen shit. You hijacked my house. Used up all my porridge oats. I’d call this my fair share of breakfast. And considering you almost killed me the other night, I’d call this restitution.”
“I–what?” She blinks those forest green eyes at me. “How do you... are you…? Wait. Are you a bear shifter?”
Her face lights up and she springs up from under the covers, kicking off the blankets and swinging her long legs over the edge of my bed. Miles of olive skin disappear into hot pink silk, making my mouth water. When she stands, her cropped pajama top exposes the soft curve of her belly and hips, and my dick hardens instantly.
“I am.” I ignore how my body reacts when her gaze travels over me, head to toe. Her scent envelopes me as she walks around me in a small circle, inspecting me as if expecting to find my hump or furry ears poking out of my head. I slam my eyes shut and curl my hands into tight fists to keep from reaching for her.
“Wow, I wasn’t sure I’d actually get to meet someone with your gifts. This is incredible!”
My eyes narrow. People have come here before with fantasies and fetishes for magical folk. She didn’t seem the type, though. Everything about her screams genuine.
“Look, I’m really sorry about the other night. I’ve never been here before, and the roads were so dark and unfamiliar. You kind of appeared out of nowhere.”
“I appeared out of nowhere? I was standing right there. How could you miss me?”
“Well, it seemed like you appeared out of nowhere,” she amends. “Are you alright?”
Her fingers grasp my elbow and she lifts it, gaze traveling down my torso to my right hip, the one she crashed into, and that I’ve spent the last few days rehabilitating in the privacy of one of my dens in the enchanted wood. Her touch burns into me, a soft, soothing vibration that has my inner bear settling down with a contented hum.
Inches separate us, and her scent fills my nostrils. Swallowing hard, I dig my nails into my palm to keep from grabbing hold of her and hauling her soft body against me. When I open them again, she’s got her heart-shaped face turned up to mine and her eyes locked onto my mouth.
One kiss. One nibble. One taste.
Fuck no.
I snap my arm back, rubbing the spot she’d touched and glaring at her.
“I’m fine.”
She shakes her head as if to clear it, a shaky, breathy kind of laugh coming out of her. “I was really worried I’d seriously injured you there, but then the bear—well, you—popped up and ran off.”
“You were calling for a vet,” I grumble. “I don’t like vets.”
“Well, in my defense, you didn’t look like this when I saw you last or I would’ve asked for a doctor.” She pointedly checks me out, her cheeks going rosy as she takes in my size.
“Don’t like them either. You shouldn’t be here, Goldie.”
I back up to the doorway, trying to ignore the way my cock responds to the interest dancing in her eyes. My bear fights me, not wanting to leave.
She makes a tsking sound in the back of her throat. “That’s not what the front office told me. It must be fate.”
“Fate?”
Does she know? How can she know already? She’s only human, after all. Suspiciously, I cast my thoughts toward her. Rae?
My message doesn’t seem to faze her as she beams at me.
“Yeah, us meeting like this. Our paths were meant to cross!” She leans over and yanks the sheets back into place while looking me over. “You said it yourself. I’ve got amends to make for crashing into you. I can’t think of a more perfect set-up than me being right here, by your side, while you recuperate. Though it seems you’re healing pretty well. You look hardly worse for wear.”
“I heal fast,” I snap. “Bear shifter ability.”
“Oh, I look forward to hearing all about those. What’d you say your name was?”
“I didn’t. You should leave.” My gaze follows her as she continues moving around the room, looking too at home in my space. “I’ll find you another cabin to stay in.”
“Oh. But this cabin’s the best one. It’s so homey and cozy, and I’ve already filled up the freezer with food to last me the length of my stay. There’s really no reason to leave. We can share the space.”
I scrub my face with one hand. “No. I—”
“Besides, I’m not to blame for what’s happened here. There are clearly forces at work that are beyond us. Maybe something to do with the portals or the magic or whatever everyone says is so concentrated here.” Rae flutters a hand in the air and her top rides up. A silk strap slips down her shoulder again and exposes more of the ink tattooed over her breast.
A bear claw. Right over her heart.
My bear whimpers, begging me to unsheath my own claws, free her of all that pesky clothing, and give in to the instinct screaming for me to claim this blonde beauty.
No. Screw this. This isn’t happening.
“Hitting me with your car is one hundred percent your fault.” I chomp another bite of her muffin. “Someone could’ve been seriously hurt. You included.”
My heart lurches at the thought. Might she have been hurt? I hadn’t even considered it. I peer at her again, watching her movements carefully in case she’s favoring one side over the other.
“Okay, fair point. I’m sorry about that, but we were clearly meant to be together.”
“What?”
“Here. Together. In this cabin. Your cabin,” she corrects, pointing at me. “There are no other suitable lodges, and I’m staying for the week to finish some work. So, hear me out. To make up for that unfortunate car incident, I’ll look after you. For your information, I’m an excellent nurse. And I made enough food for a small army to power me through my work, I won’t be any trouble at all.”
I snort. Fat chance. She’s already a whole-ass mountain heap of trouble just being here, but she doesn’t seem to be suffering any ill effects from our collision.
Maybe I better stay close, just in case she develops a sore neck or something.
I toss the rest of the muffin into my mouth and chew irritably while I try to think it through.
“I mean, we can share the space or you can go. Don’t think I’m above a public review of the multiple cabins I was moved into that were unsuitable before being unceremoniously kicked to the curb—”
“I’m not kick—” A frustrated growl escapes me as I roll my eyes to the high, exposed beams. “Stay then. I’ll…”
Go, I want to say, but the word sticks in my throat. “… sleep on the couch.”
“Great!” The radiant smile she aims at me steals my very breath. “But the bed’s plenty big enough for two. Maybe even three or four. And I don’t bite… Hard, anyway.”
Then she spins on her heel and sashays her way to the bathroom, chattering all the while as my eyes drop to her rounded ass. I don’t hear a word she says as I swallow hard, suddenly wishing I had a whole different kind of sweetness on my tongue.
My cock swells painfully in my jeans as I choke down a groan. There’s no fucking way my mate is going to share a bed with “three or four” people. If anyone’s sharing that bed with her, it’s going to be me.
Even if it kills me.