Bear Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire #2)(20)

Chills blasted up her arms, and she clutched them over her chest, shielding her breasts even though she was sitting with her back to him.

When Jenner lifted that striking gaze to her, even brighter in the moonlight, he looked troubled. “You shouldn’t be out here alone. This is brown bear country.”

Lena huffed and returned her gaze to the moon. “I’m sure you would hear danger coming from a mile away.”

“Even so.”

“I’m not decent, Jenner. If you want to cling to our professional relationship, you should go back to camp.”

There was a shuffling of fabric, but she’d be damned if she watched after him pathetically as he left.

When he brushed her shoulder, she stiffened, startled that he was still here at all. He sat in the waves behind her, legs encasing her on either side.

“What are you doing?” she asked on a shocked breath.

Jenner brushed her damp hair off her shoulder and kissed her neck. Pulling her back against his erection, he whispered, “This is a mistake.”

She bristled at that word. “Jenner, I don’t want to be anyone’s mistake.”

“No, woman. I mean, every part of me wants to be with you, and if we do this, I won’t want you to leave.”

She sighed a long exhalation and relaxed against him as he nibbled at the edge of her ear. She didn’t want to talk about leaving. Not now. Not here with a man she was falling so breathlessly hard for. She’d never had such an instant connection with anyone in her life.

Jenner ran his fingertips lightly up her arms, dragging trails of fire with his touch. Moving her wet hair to the other side of her neck, he kissed her on the curve of sensitive skin that arched from her ear to the tip of her shoulder. His lips moved against her so gently she rolled her eyes closed, forsaking the beautiful moon and oncoming storm clouds to give herself completely to this moment. He took his time, kissing, nibbling, sucking, and every once in a while, he would bite her hard enough that her skin would tingle, and then he would be gentle again.

Jenner was worshipping her body, unrushed and unbidden. The rough man who had lost control earlier and had come close to taking her from behind didn’t exist here. Not tonight.

Gentle kisses, nibble, teeth. His hand cupped the other side of her neck as he grazed his teeth harder against her skin. His erection was thick and hard against her back, and he rolled his hips gently with the next nibble. “Lena,” he whispered. “You should tell me not to bite you.”

Confused, she frowned up at the moon and angled her head to give him better access to her skin as he sucked. “But it feels good when you bite me.”

“Not like this. Tell me, or I’ll stop here. Order me, Lena. Do it now.”

“Don’t bite me, Jenner.”

A soft rumble rattled his chest and vibrated against her back, but before she could ask about it, he was up with her folded in his arms, dragging his legs with powerful strides through the shallow waves toward the beach.

She was shocked with this surreal moment. Water drops zigzagged down his scarred torso, and she traced one with her fingertip. They were both cast in blue hues thanks to the moonlight, and every time lightning struck, it illuminated the long silver marks on his body. He looked fierce, like a warrior. Lethal and beautiful. Hers. She kissed a pair of marks over his heart and smiled when she felt his heart pounding against her lips.

Jenner jerked to a stop, and when she lifted her gaze to his, he looked lightning struck himself. “What was that for?” he asked so softly she almost didn’t hear his words over the wind.

“I like the way you look.”

He settled her on her feet and looked down at his chest, then back to her, his eyes tight with uncertainty. “How can you? I look…” Jenner ripped his gaze away from her, but not before she saw the disgust there.

Slowly, she slid her arms around his neck. “You look perfect to me. Someday you’re going to tell me what happened to you, and I’ll like your scars even more.”

He gripped her arms as if he was thinking about pulling her touch off him. “You won’t.”

Lena stood up on tiptoes and kissed him softly, just a brush of her lips to tell him she was in this. “You don’t know me yet, but you will. You don’t trust me yet…” She cupped his cheeks and dragged his gaze to hers. “But you will. I’ve never seen a man more suited to me, Jenner Silver.” She smiled absently and kissed a long mark that ran the length of his collarbone. “Jenner Silver, bearer of silver scars. Who have you shared these with?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he shook his head slow, drawing a satisfied smile from her lips.

“Good.” She traced the latticework of the old marks. “This treasure map is only for me.”

Jenner shivered under her touch and rolled his eyes closed for a second, and when he opened them again, they looked darker somehow.

“I’ll be gentle with you,” he promised. His voice was gravelly, tapering into a low humming that barely registered. “You deserve gentle.”

“Okay,” she murmured. Maybe it was hard for men to be gentle. Or perhaps it was just big, dominant brawlers like Jenner who had trouble taking it slow with a woman. She didn’t have enough experience to understand why his declaration sounded so much like an oath.

Jenner cupped the back of her neck and lowered his lips against hers. The second their skin touched, a drum of thunder rolled in the distance, so loud it vibrated through her chest. Or perhaps the deep sound had rattled from Jenner. He angled his head and deepened their kiss, pushing his tongue gently past her lips.