Bearly Cooking (Pacific Northwest Werebears #1) by Moxie North Page A

his lap and standing pulling her up with him.

Chapter 23
    Walking her out to the living room, he stopped by the front door and helped her put her shoes and jacket on. Grabbing the throw off the couch they walked outside. Cage sniffed the air and told Sophie, “Wyatt is out in the woods keeping watch tonight for us,” assuring her of their safety and privacy.
    The short walk down the path led them to a clearing by the lake. The moon shimmered over the water and the reflection brightened the shore.
    Releasing her hand, Cage spread the blanket on the ground. Leading her to the middle of it, she sat and looked at him expectantly. Cage took a step back and suddenly looked nervous.
    “I’ve never done this in front of a human before, you’ll have to give me a minute,” he admitted.
    “Performance anxiety?” she couldn’t help but tease.
    “Haha, very funny,” he laughed back.
    Cage gathered his courage and started removing his clothing. “I like this part,” Sophie said with a giggle.
    “Well, shifting in clothes isn’t like the Hulk. They don’t always tear, sometimes they just bind up and it can hurt,” he explained.
    Sophie quieted as she watched Cage reveal his skin. He was a stunningly built man. Strong all over, muscles on top of muscles. His size made her feel safe, and she knew that he’d be able to take on the world for her. As long as there wasn’t a gun involved that is. The bandage around his arm wasn’t evening bleeding now. He tore it off and there was a red, closed wound underneath. Seeing her eyes on it he explained, “Um, yeah, we heal faster too,” he said chagrined.
    “Good to know,” she muttered.
    Once Cage was standing naked in front of her, he relaxed and let his bear come forward. The change washing over him as he gave over to his other half. In a glittering display, his bear pushed out of his skin, dropping to all fours in front of a wide-eyed Sophie.
    He reminded his bear to play nice. They were always of one mind, but sharing the space was often a negotiation. His bear listened and sat down on its haunches. Trying to look less intimidating, he chuffed and sniffed in Sophie’s direction.
    Getting to her knees, Sophie watched as the bear sat down. It was huge, even sitting, it was massive. Knowing Cage was in there helped, but her natural survival instinct was to curl up in a ball and hope he didn’t eat her.
    Getting to her feet, she took a step closer to the big bear, then another until she was standing in front of the beast. The bear leaned forward and sniffed her again.
    “Cage?” she couldn’t help but whisper.
    The bear huffed again and his eyes glowed yellow. Those looked familiar. Tentatively reaching out towards the giant head, she saw the bear hold still like he didn’t want to frighten her. Her hand touched the coarse fur on top of his head and a low rumble vibrated through her hand.
    “Hi,” she whispered.
    The bear butted its head against her stomach and Sophie laughed. Putting both hands on his big head, she rubbed her fingers through his hair. The bear dragged his head back and forth against her. “You’re awful sweet for a bear,” she whispered to him.
    A big paw hooked around her leg pulling her closer into him. She wrapped her arms around his head and squeezed. They both took a moment, getting to know each other. Then Sophie pulled back and said, “It was very nice to meet you, but can I have Cage back?”
    Bear huffed and pushed back from her, he gave her hand a lick and then started to shimmer. In a blink Cage was kneeling in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her chest.
    “Thank you, honey. He’s quite content now. He liked you a lot.” Cage assured her.
    “I liked him too, but I think I’d rather cuddle up to you like this,” she whispered.
    “Were you serious earlier, I have to be sure. Do you want to be my mate? To shifters, mates are more permanent and binding than any marriage. I want you to make