Boarlander Boss Bear (Boarlander Bears #1)(15)

Harrison set the book aside and wrapped her up in a hug, pulling her tight against his chest as he rocked them back and forth slowly. “The town would’ve gotten used to you eventually, Audrey. Humans aren’t bad. They’re just scared of what they don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand. It’s not the same out there in the world for people like us. If there is only one shifter, people don’t get used to them. It only works if there are big groups and humans willing to accept them or move away. I saved all year to move to Breckenridge, Colorado because the Breck Crew have paved the way for a really accepting community. I thought I could be safe and happy there. Like people wouldn’t stare at me, whisper, and shield their kids when I passed them on the street. I thought maybe if I was part of a pro-shifter community, I could feel normal. When you responded to my message on the matchmaking site, I thought it was a sign that my life was moving in a different direction. Maybe a better direction than I imagined.”

“So you spent your savings to come here and meet me.”

“Yeah. Pretty pathetic, huh?”

Harrison rested his cheek against her hair and murmured, “Hell no. It’s brave. You wanted a different life, and you went after it. There’s nothing pathetic about that, Audrey. What you’ve done is admirable.”

He felt so good, so strong, holding her like this. Like everything hadn’t gotten messed up. She inhaled his scent—shaving cream and crisp, masculine soap—and closed her eyes just to get lost in this moment. She might never get another like this, where she felt utterly safe.

Harrison eased back by inches, and his lips were so close. She could hear the hitch in his breathing as he froze there, hesitating. Kiss me.

He lifted his lightened gaze from her lips to her eyes, then closed the last bit of space between them. His mouth turned soft, kneading against her, drinking her in. Audrey gripped his T-shirt and parted her lips slightly. Harrison slipped his tongue inside and brushed against hers, just barely, then withdrew with a sexy smack. It had ended too soon, so she waited a moment too long to open her eyes.

Harrison was looking at her with the strangest expression. Confusion mixed with wonder.

“Did I do it wrong?”

He barked a laugh and pulled her hand against his crotch. His boner was back and bigger than ever. “Woman, you did nothing wrong. I just don’t want to push too hard too fast.”

“Too hard, too fast,” she repeated in a dreamy voice as she brushed her hand up the hard length of his dick.

Harrison let off a tiny moan and relaxed back on locked arms, pushing his hips up to meet her touch. “You’re purring.”

Startled, Audrey stifled the sound in her throat and jerked her hand away from him. “I’m not some housecat and technically, big cats don’t purr,” she rushed out. “We snarl, and sometimes it just sounds happier than other times.” She winced at how lame she was being right now.

“That sounded like a purr to me.” Harrison caught her fingertips and brushed his lips against them with a wicked smile. “I love that sound,” he growled out, eyes locked on hers.

She relaxed and let off a soft, happy, vibrating noise, just for him, because she trusted him. Because he had seen her scrapbook, seen the parts of her life she kept hidden, and had somehow made her feel better…and stronger. He made her feel like a tigress instead of a kitten.

She would reward him for empowering her instead of putting her down.

Carefully, she knelt between his legs and popped the button of his jeans. Her fingers shook, and she winced. Be the tiger. When she looked up at him, his eyes were bright and hungry. Warmth pooled between her legs as he leaned back on one locked arm and brushed her hair from her face with the other.

The corner of his lips lifted in a sexy smile. “Are you going to go and change everything between us?”

“Do you want that?” she asked tentatively as she unzipped his jeans.

“I wanted to take this as slowly as you need.” He let off a sigh and rocked his hips forward as she pulled his pants down, unsheathing his erection. “I wanted to do this right.”

“This feels right to me,” she whispered.

“One rule,” he gritted out as she ran her fingertips up the length of his hard shaft. “Don’t give me your back.”

Frowning up at him, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you don’t want a claiming mark from me, don’t let me have your back. This feels different. It feels big with you.” His voice was completely inhuman now. Rough and deep. She loved it.

She didn’t know rules about claiming marks, as he called them, but she would ask him about that later. Right now, she would be careful not to give him her back, and enjoy this intimacy. She’d fallen twice for him—the first time in the messages on the website, and now, as she got to know the real man behind Harrison’s stoic mask, she fell even deeper.

Another purr rattled her throat as she gripped him at his base and slid her lips over him. Harrison went rigid under her and let off another soft moan. His hand tightened in her hair, but he stayed gentle enough as he guided her deeper. His dick throbbed in her mouth, and she traced his head with her tongue, then released him slowly. Harrison positioned himself closer to the edge of the bed, tugged her cover-up over her head, and then pulled the hair band from her ponytail, releasing her tresses. With a sexy smile, he drew her closer and spread his legs wider for her as his hips rolled forward.