She laughed. “It’s a pretty surefire method,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder in a way that felt like his body had been molded just for that purpose.
“Good,” he said. “Now you aren’t allowed to ever leave.”
“Like I ever wanted to,” she muttered against him. “Now you’re mine as well, and don’t you forget it.”
He grinned and tucked her under the sheets and then got out to go to the window. He opened the curtains just a bit so they would wake up with the morning light streaming through. He was already looking forward to their first day together.
“Come back,” she said. “I’m not done with you.”
He walked back and jumped in bed with her, holding her close. “Just thought we’d want to see the new day together.”
“Sure,” she said. “But I’m not ready to sleep yet. I want to know everything about you.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked. “Like what?”
“Tell me about you in the army. About how you met Bronson and Limes. Everything.”
“Everything?” he asked.
“Yup,” she said. “I want you bared to me completely.”
He nuzzled her with a rueful grin. “With you, I always feel bare to the bone,” he said.
“Or is it bear to the bone?” she asked playfully, her eyes widening as he let out a pretend growl.
He snuggled her possessively. “Either way as long as you’re mine.”
She entwined her fingers in his. “Always.”
Epilogue
A few weeks later, Cage and Carrie sat in the window seat of her house one more time before they had to go back to New York. They’d come back to settle things with selling the house and to visit Willow and make sure all was going well with the evacuation of the Aces.
The whole town had a different feel to it. A little emptier, yes, but with a hopefulness in the air, like everyone would finally have a chance to recover.
Carrie had given the bar over to Willow, and Willow had said she knew people looking for work who could help her run it. Perhaps she had never needed Carrie as much as Carrie needed Willow.
Cage’s arms were wrapped around her waist. It seemed to be his favorite place, and he often loved to play with her love handles in a way that made her blush and try to stop him, only to get sizzling kisses down her neck in answer.
He loved every bit of her; that much was plain. It had been clear from the first moment the next morning after they’d come together and then just continued every day after that.
She was shocked by some of the things he’d told her, things he’d been through while in the service.
She’d met Bronson and Limes and finally made sense of Cage’s intense height. Bear shifters were just big.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked in a low voice as they listened to movers downstairs, taking out the last of her things. “Are you sad we’re leaving?”#p#分页标题#e#
“No,” she said. “We’ll be coming back. This particular house never meant anything to me. It was just a place to wait, I guess, until the rest of my life could happen. Not that I saw it that way. It’s just how it happened.”
“I’m going to miss Winter Falls,” he said. “I didn’t think I could say that, but we had a lot of memories here.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “We’ll make new memories in New York.”
“Sure,” he said. “So have you agreed to be our new office manager yet? Bronson and Limes have been on me about it. You do have that business degree…”
“You just like the idea of me staying in your line of sight at all times, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he said flatly. “Yes I do.”
“All right,” she said. “I’ll do it. If only to give all the more dangerous assignments to Bronson and Limes.”
“Fine by me,” he said. “I have a mate to stay home and please.”
“You bears are so overwhelming,” she said.
He growled playfully. “Just the way you like it.”
“True,” she said. She looked wistfully out over the town. “I guess maybe I am a little sad. It’s just been home, you know?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I know.”
A moment later, they heard a knock on the door downstairs, and Willow’s voice called up. “You two up in there? Doing anything kids shouldn’t see?”
Cage laughed and helped Carrie stand. They walked to the stairs and looked down to see Willow folding her arms.
“Cage, you bring my girl down now. You’ve had enough time with her. We’re supposed to be saying good-bye.”