Bear Cuffs (Broken Hill Bears #3)(34)

    "I would love to get to know you better, Kristin. To be intimate with our minds as well as our bodies. I want to know all about you  –  how you think and feel; what your passions are." He was now close enough to kiss her, something she very badly wanted him to do. This had to stop. She took two big steps back.

    "Roman, we're less compatible than the app thinks," she said. "You want to have kids and I don't. And that's a big problem." His eyes widened.

    "But why? Your body is so ready. And having cubs with my mate is my lifelong dream."

    "And that's why we're not mates!" she shouted, her pain coming out as aggression. "I don't want to have your cubs!"

    "Your body is telling me different, Kristin," he said calmly.

    "Telling you how?"


     
       
         
       
        

    "It's calling out to me, telling me you need to be impregnated." Kristin frowned.

    "Uh, that's unlikely."

    "Why?"

    "Because I'm probably infertile, Roman!" she said. It was his turn to look confused.

    "No you're not," he said.

    "I don't know for sure, but I probably am. I have a condition that makes it pretty likely."

    "Kristin, you're fertile," he said simply.

    "And you know that, how?"

    "Your scent, of course. You're actually very fertile; ripe to conceive. I picked that up the first time I scented you, and, to be honest, it's been driving me wild ever since." Kristin's mouth fell open a little.

    "But how is that possible?" she said, after a long silence. He gave her an indulgent smile.

    "It's like you knowing that the sky is blue, or that my eyes are green. It's right there in front of me  –  an incredible scent that's as real to me as that tree over there is to you!"

    "But  –  " she stammered. Her head was spinning. There was a tree stump nearby and she walked over and sat on it. Roman followed her and crouched down next to her, his dazzling eyes regarding her closely.

    "The truth is, I've always wanted kids. But I've also been told by doctors that it was 80-90% likely that it wasn't going to happen. I've spent the last few years trying to accept that."

    "So you fall into the lucky 10%," he said.

    "Are you sure?" she murmured.

    "Yes I am. Like all animals, knowing which females are fertile is an instinct that is part of our DNA." He moved closer, his mouth an inch from her ear. "Do you have any idea how fertile we tigers are?" he growled. Kristin shivered. Oh god! His voice, his smell, everything about him was turning her into a quivering mess. There was an ache between her thighs that she was trying hard to ignore.

    "What if you're mistaken?" she said. "What if you're not as great at sniffing out fertility as you think you are?"

    "My tiger isn't wrong," he said. "You don't understand how hard it is to control it right now. It's inciting me to mate with you, to take you right here, in the forest. It wants me to rip your clothes off and claim you as my own, to make you pregnant, right here, right now." Kristin gasped. There was something so wrong, yet so right about this stranger saying these things to her, while they were alone together, deep in the woods. A more tender look came into Roman's eyes. "That's my tiger; it's a simple beast. I, of course, want to talk to you for hours, go on dates, spend time learning all about each other. And that's why the two sides of me complement each other so well," he finished, with a half smile. As he gazed at her, the fire returned to his eyes. He was so close, crouching at her feet, and she felt desire, like electricity, leaping in the air between them. She ached to feel his lips on hers, his hands on her body. 

    But she was also aware of how much she needed a shower. And how thirsty she was. She hadn't carried water as she'd only planned on being out for 45 minutes or so, and she longed for the bottle she'd left in the car. She ran the tip of her tongue across her lips.

    "You're thirsty. Of course," he said. "I'm sorry to have kept you out here."

    "No, don't be sorry. But I do need to get back to the car now," she said, standing up. She looked at the workout app. The parking lot was now 1.2 miles away.

    "Did you park by the north-east entrance?" he asked. She nodded.

    "Me too!" he said. "How would you feel about me accompanying you?"

    "I'd feel pretty good," she said, with a smile. "But I need to go slow; I'm all run out."

    "That was my fault," he said, as they began walking together. "I'm sure you weren't expecting to be startled by a tiger when you set out for your afternoon hike today." She laughed.

    "Nope." She tapped her app again. "But that was my best time ever for a five mile hike. In fact, the last two miles were faster than my 3000 meter track race record!"

    "You do track?"

    "I used to. Back in college. I used to love mid-distance races."

    "You're really fast for a human," he said, then paused. "Sorry, did that sound bad?"

    "No. Guys are faster than women, and tiger shifters are faster than all of us, I guess," Kristin replied cheerfully. "I won't pretend it's not frustrating though."

    "We should run together sometime," he said. She threw him a glance, eyebrow raised.

    "Uh, the only time I run these days is when I've got a tiger on my tail. And I'm not keen on repeating that experience!"

    "Why don't you run anymore?"

    "It's hard on my body," she said, evasively. It was true  –  it was super uncomfortable for her boobs and hard on her joints, and she felt heavy and ungainly.

    "How about a hike then?" he said.

    "Maybe, but only if you stay in your human form."

    "Ok, deal," he said with a smirk.

    "It's quite ironic actually," she said.

    "What is?"

    "Well, I usually head out right from my apartment. But today, because I wanted to make sure that you didn't pick up my scent and come after me, I drove all the way out here. And here you are!" Roman threw his head back and laughed.

    "Isn't that the very nature of destiny?" he said. "When your future is fated, whatever action you take to avoid it will bring you right back to where you're supposed to be?" Kristin sucked in her lips and looked at him sideways. He did have a point.

    She was struck by how much she was enjoying chatting with him. It felt very natural, as if they'd known each other for years. But, on the other hand, she was lightheaded with the strength of the desire she felt for him.

    "Am I the first shifter you've met, Kristin?" he asked.

    "If you mean dating-wise: yes. I'm new to the site. But I was introduced to it by my two best friends, and they're both with bears."

    "And you didn't fancy a bear for yourself?"

    "No, I  –  I see myself with a different kind of guy  –  " She stopped, and their eyes met. Her throat tightened and she felt weak.


     
       
         
       
        

    "What kind of guy?" Roman asked quietly.

    "Someone intelligent, arty, kind-hearted, athletic, fierce, and opinionated," she said. He didn't need to say anything in return. They were things the app already knew, which was how it had picked them out as a perfect match.

    By now, they were back at the parking lot. Kristin ran to her car, took out her water bottle and drank almost an entire quart straight down. Roman hung back, giving her space.

    "Better?" he said, as she turned back to him.

    "Yes, much." She hesitated, knowing it was up to her to decide the next move.

    "I need a little time, Roman," she said, at last. She was about to say something vague, but then she stopped herself. Roman's words were so raw, so honest and unadorned, stripped of the empty phrases that humans used to conceal their true feelings from one another. She owed him the same. "I am attracted to you, and I feel sure we'd be great together. It's just that what you've told me today has been a big shock; a nice one, of course. But I just need time to adjust, to think things over. Is that ok?"