Gray Back Bad Bear(19)
More selfies of women biting his ear, arms around his neck, a video of him skinny dipping in a steaming pool with a bevy of beauties. Hashtag spring break. Hashtag did a werebear. Hashtag bucket list.
Just like the bombshells had come for, Matt had given into so many others.
Warm tears streaked down her cheeks and landed with soft splats against her board shorts.
“What are you searching for, Matt?” Her voice came out broken and sad.
“A mate.”
“Is sex an addiction for you?”
“No.” He stood and locked his hands on either side of her hips, rocking the truck with the force of it. “Willa, it’s not like that. I know the difference. My sister…shit.” He took a deep breath and tried again. “This isn’t every night or every week. Those posts are the highlight reel. My bear needs a mate, or I’m going to lose my mind.”
“Matt, be serious.”
“I am! I am being serious. He’s never been right. My animal is wild and wants to fight everything, all the time, and I can feel my control slipping with each year. I’ve seen it happen—seen a dominant bruin go mad because he loses control of his animal. I want a mate.”
“As a hail mary to save yourself from insanity? And what if that doesn’t work? Where will that leave your mate?”
“It will work, Willa. You have to trust me, it will. I can already feel it working.”
She drew back and froze, eyes wide. “What do you mean?”
“It’s you.”
Her face crumpled, and she couldn’t hold his blue gaze any longer. “What do you mean it’s me?”
“You’re my mate.”
“Aw, fuck off, Matt. I don’t want to play this game.” She shoved him back and slid off the tailgate, then slammed it closed as fury pounded through her. He had some nerve.
“It’s not a game, Willa, I swear. I knew at the bar, the first time I talked to you.”
“You didn’t even notice me until I ran into you! And you just left me to go swim with Brittney. I don’t know how this mate stuff works, but I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to be chasing other tail. Are you even capable of monogamy?”
“Yes! I haven’t even thought of another woman since I’ve met you.”
“For one whole day you haven’t thought of another woman.”
“This is why I wanted to take things slow, Willa. It’s instant for me. Dammit, I thought I’d never find you, but now my bear is ripping me up from the inside out because I made you cry. I know it’s not the same for humans, though, so I thought if we could just date, and you could see how happy I can make you, you’d give us a chance.”
“But…” She thought of all the drop-dead gorgeous women he’d been with. “I’m not your type.”
“You’re exactly my type.”
“Fearful nerd is your new thing?”
Matt let off a surprised laugh. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“I’m leaving to go back to my life in Louisiana in a week,” she said softly. “I’m going to get a job and go back to my apartment and my worm farm and live a normal life.”
“Well, I was hoping to court you into sticking around here a little longer. We can bring your worm farm here. I can build you one as big as you want. We have room for everything where I live. Worm farms, gardens, space to play your instruments…whatever would make you happy. I had all these plans.”
She tried to stifle her smile as the flutters in her stomach picked up again. “What sort of plans?”
His tone dipped low to a seductive purr. “I’m going to show you my deluxe singlewide mobile home in the heart of Grayland Mobile Park.”
“Mmm hmm, I like it.”
He gave her a crooked, sexy smile and took a step closer, pinning her against the truck. Running his hands through her damp hair, he continued. “Then I was going to cook you some seafood and show off my culinary skills.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“And then I was going to take you on a date in town and maybe let you give me a hand job.”
Willa snorted a laugh and smacked his arm. “Stop it, and be serious. My resolve is wavering.”
The smile dipped from his face, and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “And then I was going to take you to meet my sister because I really like you, and I want Cassie to meet the woman who settles my bear.”
Choked up, Willa cleared the thickness from her throat and tried to look severe. “No more girls.”
“Only you.”
“No more chasing tail and throwing attention at controlling skanks like Brittney.”
He kissed her forehead again and whispered, “You have my word.”