Lord of the Bears (Wild Ridge Bears Book 1) by Kimber White Page B

a
paw.
    “I wasn’t completely myself,” I said. “But, I swear to you, I am now.
Always. You have nothing to fear from me.”
    “I know.” Her words hung in the air between us. I felt hollowed out and
filled again with hope and desire.
    “I don’t know why I know,” she went on. “But I know. You called to me out there. Did you know you were doing it? How? You were asleep.”
    I took another step toward her. “I wasn’t sure. Not at first. And then,
I didn’t want to believe it. I was too afraid to hope.”
    “Hope for what, Jax? I know what you are now. At least, I’m trying to
understand. But there’s something else I think that might be even more
important.”
    I closed my eyes and took another breath. “Nora.”
    She put up a hand to silence me. Then, she took a step forward and
pressed that hand against my chest. My heart beat strong behind my ribcage. It
took everything in me not to touch her, kiss her, hold her. But, she needed to
understand what I was. I needed to accept what she might be.
    “What am I?” she finally asked the question I hadn’t dared to confront
myself.
    “Mine.” My answer came from the bear and me all at once.
    Nora swallowed hard. Her eyes glistened with the hint of tears as she
let them travel up my chest to meet my gaze. I stood stock still, afraid to so
much as blink in case I finally did scare her away.
    But, she wasn’t scared. Instead, her nostrils flared and she inhaled my
scent. With one hand still pressed against my chest, she reached up with the
other and touched my face. I couldn’t help it; my eyes went dark, and I knew
she saw the bear. Still, she didn’t seem afraid.
    “You did call to me out there. In the woods.”
    I nodded. It was as good as anything to describe what happened. Yes.
Even before I came fully awake, I must have sensed her and drawn her in close.
I’d heard stories about it happening. It’s how my father found my mother all
those years ago. They were made for each other. My mother had been special. His Anam Cara . A human woman who could lie with a werebear.
    “Yes.” I answered. There was no point in trying to deny it to her or myself
anymore.
    “I feel something when you’re near. You’re in my head. No, not my head.
My… heart . Is that normal? Is it some power you have?”
    I shook my head. “It’s not my power, Nora. It’s yours.”
    Her eyes flared, and heat shot through me. She parted her lips and tiny
beads of sweat formed in the hollow above her upper lip. My senses sharpened as
the bear hovered under the surface. I felt her heartbeat through her fingertips
on my chest. Color came into her cheeks and her breasts rose and fell as her
breath hitched.
    God. I wanted her. Desire slammed through me so hard it nearly drove me
to my knees. This was so much more powerful than the urge to shift. I needed
her. I felt as though I might starve without her touch. Nora ran her hands up
my chest and slid them over my shoulders. She took a step forward. I tilted my
head down and brought my arms up. I didn’t have the willpower not to touch her.
I slid my hands around her waist.
    “Jax,” she whispered. My name seemed to hover between us. A question. A
promise. A thing she could never take back.
    Nora went up on her tiptoes. My flesh seemed to vibrate with wanting I
couldn’t contain. Nora cocked her head to the side and parted her lips wider.
She’d kissed me before and it nearly undid me. But that had been different,
almost an afterthought. This was deliberate. I stood as still as I could, but
my muscles tensed. It had to be her though. She had to move first.
    Then, she did.
    Nora threaded her fingers through the hair at the back of my neck and
urged my head toward hers. I groaned and pressed my lips against hers. Heat and
light and fire arced between us.
    Then everything came apart.

 
    Chapter Eleven
    Nora
    It was as if I saw color for the first time when Jax pressed his lips
to mine. My heart flared to life as he brought his