Read Her Christmas Bear for Free Online Page B

family.” And he did, more than anything in the world. With her.
    He made a decent living, had enough money in the bank to last him during his extended lifetime. But now, with Hope in his life, he thought of the future. His future. Her future. Their cubs’ future. Dirk now had a mate and they would soon have cubs no doubt. Maybe, if he provided more opportunities, more bears would settle in the area. It would be nice to see the shifter community grow. He didn’t want his children growing up without a clan.
    For the first time, in a very long time, Marcus wanted to concentrate on the future. Not just exist, marking time. And it was all because of the woman by his side.
    “Look, Marcus, I know you think that I’m special to you.”
    “You’re my mate.”
    “No, I’m not,” she insisted.
    He simply shrugged his shoulders. Time would prove him right. He changed the subject, not wanting to see the confusion on her face or hear the anxiety in her voice. Soon, soon she would know he was serious. That she was his mate.
    Like tonight. His bear pushed forward. The animal wanted out. They were outside, it was snowing, his mate was beside him. In the animal’s mind, it was time to mate, fuck, claim. Primal, almost irresistible urges.
    Marcus could control those instincts. For now. For just a little while longer. He wanted to do everything his bear desired, but he knew he needed to move slowly so as not to frighten Hope with the intensity of his feelings.
    He studied his mate as she sat by his side, contentment settling over him like newly fallen snow. She was even prettier up close and despite her curvy figure she looked almost fragile. It brought out his protective instincts. Did she have any idea of the effect she had on him. On his bear? How every night since he’d found her, laying hurt and bleeding on the side of the mountain, he’d laid awake aching for her until he had to shift and run until dawn.
    Fate had a fantastic sense of humor he was coming to learn. The other two bear shifters in Riverton had fought their feelings for their mates, pushing the women away until it was almost too late. Why the hell couldn’t his mate be more like Jagger’s or Dirk’s. Those women had set their sights on the two bears and went after them. He sighed knowing he had done both women a grave injustice with that description of their behavior. They hadn’t thrown themselves at the bears, merely expressed their interest and desire. Something he wished with all his heart and bear soul that Hope would do.
    “I thought I’d make a pond over there for skating, maybe do some sleigh rides through the trees. Build a few more gazebos.”
    “That sounds good.”
    They sat for a few more minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.
    “Will you stay for dinner?”
    He saw the look of unease that crossed her face and quickly added. “It’s just pizza and salad.”
    “I don’t know.” She looked up at him, her face serious.
    He moved closer, his big body blocking out the cold breeze that had kicked up. “It’s dinner. People do it all the time. I won’t hurt you, beautiful. That’s the last thing on my mind.”
    The light flirtation made Hope smile, despite her caution in spending more time with Marcus. Marcus wasn’t a man you had dinner with, shared a kiss with and then walked away unscathed. He had dangerous stamped all over him. “That’s what I’m afraid of—those other fifty things on your mind.”
    “Aaah, come on. You don’t give me enough credit. I have a least a hundred and fifty things I’d like to do with you.” He paused, his dark eyes glowing. “To you.”
    Oh, man, she thought. This man had it all going on. Looks, size, charm. How was a woman supposed to resist?
    A voice whispered through her head. Maybe you shouldn’t. If she hadn’t been looking at him directly, she would have sworn he had spoken, the sound of the words so deep and gruff inside her mind.
    The instincts that had told her the last man she had