Bear With Me by Moxie North

to the front porch. Normally they sat on the couch inside, again so his parents were just down the hall, hearing every word.
    It was warm out, and Mackenzie pulled in a deep breath. Gathering her courage, she sat on the top step of the porch and waited for him to join her.
    “Conner?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Do you care about me at all,” she whispered, looking straight ahead. She was no sissy, but if she took one look at him, her big girly side would let loose an avalanche of tears and probably snot all over him. She was an ugly crier, always had been.
    “Kenzi…” he said in an anguished moan.
    “Answer me, honestly.”
    “Of course I care about you. I want you safe, I want you happy,” he admitted. He knew that much. It was the things he and his bear could agree on.
    “And if I told you I wasn’t happy, then what,” she kept on.
    “Why aren’t you happy? Has someone been mean to you? Made you feel not welcome,” he asked. He’d kick whoever’s butt needed kicking if they were being mean to her.
    Kenzi started laughing. She dropped her head into her hands as she rubbed her face moaning.
    “You going to kick your own ass,” she asked him.
    “Me? I’ve been mean to you? When,” he asked annoyed.
    “Conner, you clearly can’t do this. Or you can, but won’t. What are we doing here? We aren’t dating, you won’t be alone with me. In fact, this is the closest we’ve come to being alone all week! I need you. I need to touch you. I’m so horny I spend half my time taking showers and making good use of the detachable shower nozzle,” she hissed.
    “I’ve spent more time this week with your brothers then you. I like them, they’re sweet and funny and their mates are some seriously lucky women. I need that too, Conner. No, I deserve that. And if you don’t think I deserve that, then you really don’t care about me at all. I need more than a mate that just wants me to be safe. I need a mate who worships and adores me. Thinks I hung the moon and stars. Who can’t keep his hands off of me. One who really wants me,” she finished on a whisper.
    Conner had been silent. Her words stabbing at him, but he knew he deserved it. He’d been avoiding her. Being around her, her scent, her beauty was too much of a temptation. There was no way he wouldn’t bite her if they had sex again. And for some reason he thought if they just avoided the bonding, then they still had choices.
    He could hear his bear laughing at him in his head, or the equivalent of a laugh. They were mates, the bonding was just the final step in the process. They really didn’t have any choices. The perfect person, the perfect wife, lover, and partner was sitting next to him on the porch telling him that he was the one being mean to her. He was the one hurting her.
    “What do you want from me, Kenzi,” he asked his voice harsh. “I told you, I couldn’t give you what you wanted. I wasn’t good enough for you. I still believe that.”
    “So you aren’t going to give us a chance? You’ll deny your bear and yourself the chance to be happy? I can make you happy, Conner, you just have to let your stubborn guard down long enough to let me in.”
    “I’m trying to protect you from me,” he shouted.
    “I don’t need protecting from you, I need…” she trailed off. She could feel the hitch in her throat. Her eyes were starting to burn, the tears and pain she’d been holding onto for days was bubbling to a boil.
    “What!? What do you need, what do you want me to do,” he asked, standing to face her.
    Drawing in a ragged breath, Mackenzie looked up at her tall, handsome mate and swallowed her pride.
    “I want you to love me,” she whispered, as a tear slid down her cheek.
    Conner saw that tear, glinting in the moonlight. It was like a kick to the gut. He’d caused that. He was an asshole and deserved to suffer an eternity for hurting her. His bear was telling him to go to her. Comfort her, kiss away those tears. Shaking his head to