Woodcutter Werebear (Saw Bears Book 2) by T. S. Joyce Read Free Book Online Page B

hungry way his eyes traveled down her thighs, he meant exactly what he said. His forward way of speaking was jarring.
    “My bear always wants sex after a fight. It isn’t your place to satisfy that need, though, so I can stop talking about it. You look uncomfortable.”
    “No.” She unbuttoned the snap on his jeans and sighed. “It’s all right. I like that you are blatantly honest. You’re a bit of an over-sharer, but it’s better than hiding your feelings all the time. Just say what you want, and if you cross a line, I’ll tell you. I don’t want you to change for me.”
    Kellen tilted his chin, and the fire in his eyes dimmed. Uncertainly, he said, “You don’t want to change me?”
    “No. Why would I? You’re…” She smiled at the memory of his first compliment to her today. She repeated it in a soft whisper. “You’re perfect.”
    Kellen snorted, then hissed air through his teeth as she tugged the waist of his jeans downward.
    “Help me, man. I can’t clean the injury from behind your pants.”
    “Oh.” He frowned, as if he’d just remembered the growing blood puddle across his quad. Standing, he pulled the denim material away from his skin and slowly pressed his pants down, exposing the extent of the wound.
    Skyler bit her lip and thanked her lucky stars she wasn’t afraid of blood. Four long gashes ran across the top of his leg, and the bottom one was a bit of a gusher. Kellen rearranged his face to a stoic expression and gripped the edges of the bathtub as he sat down. “If you hand me a towel, I’ll get the bleeding stopped.”
    She turned to a pair of faded, white cabinets above a washer and dryer against the bathroom wall and found an old, threadbare black towel. But when Kellen reached for it, she swatted his hand away and pressed it on the injury herself. “How long does it take you to heal?”
    “With an injury like this, two days until it’s a scar.”
    This rocked her back on her heels. She was a fast healer, but not like that. “Hold that there, and I’ll find something to clean it.”
    His hand pressed against hers, strong and steady, as he held her transfixed with his gaze. “Thank you.”
    “It’s no problem,” she said, shrugging it off. “I’ve dealt with battle wounds before.”
    “No, not for that. For saying you didn’t want me to change. I’m… I know I’m different. Most people outside of the Ashe crew write me off—think there is something wrong with me. Thanks for not doing that.”
    She thought of how hurt he’d looked in the grocery store parking lot when she’d called him strange, and shame burned her cheeks. “I’m sorry about what I said when I first met you.”
    “Don’t. You don’t have to apologize for that. Everyone thinks that. It’s okay.” He dipped his attention to his bare feet and seemed unable to lift his gaze.
    A blush crept into his cheeks, and she brushed the color there with her fingertips. She knew how it felt to be different all her life. To not fit in. “You are good, Kellen. I like that you say what you mean and how you feel. I like that you let me in.”
    His hair was mussed from his fight, so she ran her fingers through until it was smooth and in place again. Kellen dropped his chin to his chest and gripped her wrist so fast, she gasped. He ran a gentle thumb across the tender skin of her arm.
    “I like when you touch me,” he rumbled.
    “I like it, too.”
    She liked it more than she ever thought possible. His reaction to her was empowering. He didn’t bully her or manipulate her into doing what he wanted. He made her feel beautiful and in control. He complimented her and was vocal when she did something he appreciated.
    The silky skin around his shaft grew thin and hard as his erection jutted out between his legs. He was impossibly thick, and she had no idea how a man of his size would physically match her smaller body, but that didn’t stop her sex from responding instantly to his arousal.
    “What are you