Abby pulled in a deep breath, hardly able to believe what she was about to say. If someone had told her a couple of weeks ago that before she left Alaska she’d sleep with a man who turned into a bear, would fall in love with him practically overnight and decide to make Alaska her permanent home—all in a span of less than a week—she would’ve peed her pants laughing so hard. But the past few days since she’d arrived in Alaska had been so intense. Intense sex. Intense danger. Intense connection. All that intensity had acted like a catalyst. She hadn’t been able to stop it. The bond between them had taken on a life of its own and she was powerless to stop it. By the end, she hadn’t wanted to stop it.
Now she could see her former life for what it truly had been—basic survival. She hadn’t been living life. She’d been surviving. Tarik made her feel alive. He was strong and sexy but not so strong he wasn’t able to admit he needed her.
He was looking at her now, his eyes full of so many emotions she couldn’t sort them all out. Her own eyes were burning with the tears she’d been holding back all day. It was time. Time to lay everything on the table.
She was both scared and exhilarated.
Blinking, she said, “Tarik, I believe in you so much I want to stay here in this Godforsaken place with you. I want to help you.”
“Oh God,” Katie squeaked.
Abby felt like her face was going to split open she was smiling so wide. “I came to Alaska for the adventure of a lifetime. What I found is my life…and a very new and thrilling kind of adventure.”
Tarik’s shoulders dropped and for a moment, Abby feared he’d tell her no. Then he swept her into his arms and held her so tightly she could hardly breathe. Loosening his hold a smidge, he tipped his head down to kiss her. She gladly returned the kiss.
“Okay, okay,” she heard Katie say behind her. “Enough already. He’s naked. Get a room! God, now what am I going to do for the next week?”
Abby smiled at Tarik. “So, does that mean you aren’t going to run off into the woods to die a slow and painful death?”
“Yes. I mean, no,” he responded.
“Thank God!” Tarik’s friend said.
“Tell me about it,” Katie said flatly. “Is he always so dramatic?”
“Yeah,” the guy standing next to Katie said. Abby couldn’t help noticing the way those two were looking at each other all of a sudden. She had a feeling Katie would have no problems keeping busy over the next week. “Tarik’s a regular drama queen. He played Dolly in our senior year musical. You’d never know it, but he has a mean falsetto.”
Tarik’s laughter echoed off the trees and vibrated through Abby’s body, leaving her feeling dizzy and happy beyond words.
Tarik grimaced. “You promised to never tell a soul about that, Zant.”
“Oh. Yeah. I guess I did.” His friend didn’t sound regretful in the least.
Tarik looped his arm around Abby’s neck and started walking toward the hotel. “That’s okay. I’ll get you.” He poked his friend’s chest. “If I were you, I’d grow eyes in the back of your head because you’re going to need them.”
“Tough talk coming from a guy who runs around naked,” his friend challenged. “So, what’s the plan, Tarik? And what do we do about Torborg?”
“Plan? Who knows?” Tarik said. “I need to get into a lab, run some tests. As far as Torborg goes, I guess we call the police and tell them he was attacked by a bear. With him out of the picture, I think the danger’s over. I can go back to Omega. Maybe I can dig into some files and see if I can find out if there are other people like me. In the meantime, I’m going inside to get me some clothes, food and sleep.” He winked at Abby and her cheeks heated. “Not necessarily in that order. How’s your arm, kitten?”
“It stopped bleeding. I guess it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I always get woozy at the sight of my own blood.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “Honest. I’m going to be fine.” Happy and eager to meet every new challenge with Tarik, Abby mooshed herself into his side.
This was where she belonged, with this man and in this place. “What about your leg?”
“It’s feeling better already. Everything is better now, knowing we’ll be together.” He raised her fingers to his lips and kissed each fingertip. “Before I met you, I didn’t have room in my life for anyone. But now you are my life.”
The End