Chapter 5

5

Kael

T ime stands still.

Raelynn's eyes get real narrow.

"Okay. Come in," she says.

My heart leaps. She's starting to trust me—just a little. And that's the best feeling in the world.

I follow behind her, looking for the security cameras and motion sensors.

"What's out the back?" I ask.

"Oh, a pool. Hot tub. That kinda shit. Never get time to use it."

"You have security there, too?"

"I guess."

I'll check it later. Now I'm focused on getting her safely indoors.

Inside is real fancy. Well, most human civilization looks real fancy to me, but I can tell this is on a different level from what most folks have.

Raelynn dumps her purse on a table in the hallway. Then, she bends down to unfasten her shoes. "Damn," she mutters.

"What is it?"

"Two-thousand-dollar shoes. You'd think they'd figure out how to make a buckle work."

"Let me." I move in closer.

"Oh, it's okay?—"

I crouch at her feet. I see instantly that the little prong has gotten caught up in the stitching. My thick fingers aren't designed for such delicate work, but I manage to free it.

"Here." I hold my hand out.

She hesitates.

"Come on."

She hesitates some more. Then she reaches out.

It happens in slow motion.

The velvet of her fingers slip into my big, gnarly grasp. I don't move; I don't breathe. I just experience every beautiful second of it.

She gives me her hand.

And my entire world lights up.

It's as if I've been in the dark until now, and someone just turned the lights on.

Our hands fit together like they were made for each other. Like they've connected a thousand times before.

Her beautiful cherry lips part, and those huge blue eyes fill with questions.

Holy crap. She feels it too.

Is electricity also running through her body right now? Are her insides on fire?

A tiny frown appears between her eyebrows, and I remember what I was supposed to be doing. I brace my hand so she can put her weight on it, and I unfasten the ankle straps on both shoes. I've never handled female shoes before, let alone these delicate things that look like they're made of fairy dust, but somehow, I know what to do. I slip one off her unbelievably dainty foot, then the other. Her grip on my hand gets tighter as she adjusts her weight, then she straightens up.

Holy hell. She's even tinier than I realized. Without her shoes on, she barely comes up to my pecs. A soft feeling warms my chest. I just want to protect this girl. Wrap her up in my big furry arms and keep her safe.

She sighs. "Ohh, that feels good."

My bear purrs in delight.

Shush. She means her feet feel good without those shoes, doofus.

But it's no good. My cock is responding, too. All I can think about is her saying those words while I plunge into her virgin pussy. I imagine her coming around my dick, begging me for more.

Oh, that feels good, Kael. Please don't stop.

She tugs on my hand.

Whoops. Guess I'd better release it. I let go reluctantly. I could hold it all day long.

She starts walking along the hallway and my beast follows, hot on her heels. I watch the way her ass sways beneath her flimsy white dress, while my beast pushes at my skin. It's overjoyed at being inside her house, and it's desperate for me to take her, claim her. It doesn't understand human niceties, and it takes all my concentration to hold it back.

"I'll show you where your room is." She turns to face me, and just in time, I drag my gaze away from her lovely ass.

She gives me a look I can't figure out. A long, startled kind of look. I'm not good with human expressions. Bears, you can always tell what they're thinking. But humans are a mystery to me.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Oh, you're kind of a big presence in my house."

"Uh, yeah." My head practically touches the door frames and my shoulders just fit through the doors. I wrap my arms around my body. "I'll try not to break anything."

She giggles. "That's okay. I didn't choose most of this stuff anyway."

I go still. She's still looking at me. Those cornflower blue eyes are burning with curiosity. Damn. If all she did was look at me like that for the rest of my life, I could die a happy man.

"What's your home like?" she blurts out.

"Oh…" I scrub at my beard. "It's a cabin, deep in the wilderness." Don't know how to describe it really; it's all I've ever known. But she's looking at me encouragingly, and all I want in the world is to hold her attention.

So, I try real hard.

"It's all wood. Made of logs outside. Wood paneled walls. Wood floor. Bed is wood, but not the mattress. That's made of straw."

I break off. Shit. Why am I describing the bed? Of course, I'm imagining her spread out on it, gorgeously naked.

She frowns. "Straw? Doesn't sound real comfy."

My heart booms in my chest like a cannon going off. Is she thinking about laying on it?

I clear my throat. "I could put a feather comforter on top."

She swallows. "S-sounds nice."

"Should be," I say, making my voice as soft as I can.

Her eyes are very wide, the whites flashing in the dim hallway lighting. The tip of her tongue darts out and runs across her lips. Then she turns sharply and continues along the hallway. "That's your room." She points to an open door.

"Where's yours?"

"Oh, the other direction." She thumbs over her shoulder.

"Raelynn, if I'm going to guard you, I need to know every inch of this property."

Her cheeks are pink and I hear a hitch in her breathing. "Okay."

When we reach her bedroom door, her scent wafts out.

Sweet. Heady. Intoxicating.

"Lemme check the windows." I stride into the room, and the full impact of being in her private space hits me.

This is where she sleeps. Undresses. Maybe she even sleeps naked in that big ol' fancy bed. I think of her luxuriating amid all those fluffy cushions.

Shit. Never thought I'd be grateful for this darn suit jacket, but it's the only thing protecting her innocent eyes from my monster erection right now.

The windows have secure locks. The en suite bathroom doesn't have any windows. I've exhausted my reasons for being in here. Reluctantly I head to the door.

When I turn to close it, she's right behind me. She's breathing faster than usual, and her pupils are dilated.

Claim her , my beast purrs.

The urge is roaring in my blood. All I've got to do is dip my head. Press my feral lips to her innocent ones.

She wants this.

But she doesn't trust me yet.

I tear myself away.

"Lock it from the inside," I tell her.

"Okay." She turns away slowly.

I stand outside the door, listening to the lock sliding home. Her feet padding across the floor.

I hate the fact that I'm locked out here.

My beast howls its frustration.

Then I think about the way she looked at me when our hands touched.

She's mine. My beast has chosen her.

We might be from different worlds, but Raelynn is my mate.

I know it with every fiber of my body.

I'm going to claim her very soon.

Or I'll die trying.