Her Christmas Bear by Marie Mason Read Free Book Online Page A

but downright erotic.
    Marcus’s house was larger than it looked on the outside. It had an open concept that brought to mind the great outdoors. No doubt that was what he had hoped to accomplish since he was a shifter. A bear shifter that needed lots of room. A brown leather couch sat in front of the fireplace, the cushions looking firm but soft. She could almost feel herself sitting there beside him, her head cradled against his shoulder.
    Stop it, Hope. That wasn’t what you wanted, remember? Men led to heartache.
    “The bathroom is down the hall and to the right,” he said as he took her coat and hung it by the door. “Feel free to freshen up, if you want.” He gave her a smile that made the fire inside her flare back up.
    “Thanks.” She walked slowly toward the back of the room and to another section of the house. She found the bathroom with no problem. After taking care of business, she looked at herself in the mirror mounted above the sink as she dried her hands. She hadn’t brought her purse with her, thinking it would get in the way when they were touring the farm. Now, she regretted that decision. Or at least regretted not shoving more than a tube of lip balm into her pocket. Not wanting to rummage through his things for a comb, she ran her fingers through her hair, fluffing it out the best she could. What makeup she’d had on had disappeared beneath the onslaught of wind and snow. And Marcus’s lips.
    Going back the way she’d come, her steps slowed again at the huge windows at the back of the house. Marcus’s cabin—as he had called the eight room house—looked out over the mountain. Snow was falling, the heavy clouds making dusk settle in early. Large, wet flakes fell, one after the other until the branches of the evergreens looked as if they had been painted with sparkling frosting. It was beautiful.
    Suddenly, doubts assailed her again. What was she doing here? She wanted Marcus Abrams and that terrified her. Was what he told her true? Was she his mate? And what responsibility did that bring? Thanks to the long talk she’d had with Patsy, she knew that shifters mated for life. That the shifter couldn’t cheat on a mate. That any children they had would be shifters. She’d have to learn to deal with not just hormonal teenaged boys and girls, but hormonal shifter boys and girls.
    Marcus’s voice sounded behind her and she turned to see him standing just inside the living space. She remembered the heated kisses they’d shared. The way he made her feel every time he was near. How his simple touch made her body come alive. A tremor raced through her.
    She took her time to study him. There was no doubt why she was attracted to him. He wore a thick, cable sweater even though she knew he wasn’t cold. Shifters, bears in particular, she had come to discover, had a very high body temperature. He had a beautiful thatch of wavy brown hair, eyes the color of chocolate and a build that would put an NFL lineman to shame. The man was freaking huge. And made her feel so delicate and fragile she wanted to hug him close just to savor that feeling. To make it worse, he had a smile that sent jolts of electricity zinging straight to her core—straight to her hungry pussy. She dropped her gaze afraid he could somehow detect the fluttering in her stomach, the rat-a-tat beat of her heart. “It’s snowing hard now,” she said.
    “They’re calling for eight to twelve inches,” he replied.
    She licked her lips as her gaze dropped below his waist. “That’s a lot of, umm, snow.”
    “It is.” He smiled at her innuendo. “It might last all night long.”
    “I certainly hope so.”
    His smile faded and his expression tightened. “If you want to leave, Hope, I need to take you home now.”
    “I know.”
    They continued to stare at each other. “If you stay, I’ll take you to my bed. I’ll fuck you until you scream my name.”
    “I know.” From the flare of his nostrils, she knew that he smelt her