“It’s been a long day and you didn’t have any wine,” she explained.

  Grayden offered a crooked smile and came forward, dropping down on the floor in front of the loveseat where she sat.

  “I was going to force a shot of whiskey on you. This works. How’s your wrist?” he asked, reaching for it gingerly and turning it over in his hand.

  “Fine,” she said but winced when he twisted it wrong.

  His mouth tightened. “I’m going to find that guy and kill him,” he said. He looked up at Rachel. “I don’t know if that scared you but⁠—”

  “Not a single damn bit,” she said, cutting him off and he grinned.

  “So my fighting and violence is okay when it comes to protecting you?” he asked.

  “Damn straight,” she said and he laughed.

  “Good thing.”

  “What did Hunt say?” she asked and her nerves sent butterflies winging through her belly while she waited for him to answer. This was it. If they sent her packing… where would she go?

  “He said the same thing I did. That you’re staying put until we figure all this out.” He cocked his head at her. “Why?”

  “No reason. I thought…” she looked down, picking at a loose thread on her shirt. “I wondered if he’d kick me out.”

  Grayden growled and hooked his finger under her chin, forcing her eyes back to his. “No one’s kicking you anywhere. Ever,” he said and the vehemence in his voice startled her and sent a shiver of pleasure through her at the protectiveness exuding from him.

  “Thank you. I appreciate you letting me stay,” she began but then trailed off.

  She felt off balance and unsure what to say now that the danger had passed and her adrenaline had waned. What if he really only meant to protect her out of some sense of chivalry? What if the kiss hadn’t meant the same thing to him that it meant to her? Shifters had higher sex drives than humans. Maybe he was just in the mood and saw a convenient opening.

  “Would you like to see the bedroom?” he asked, startling her out of her self-doubt. “I mean, I would say the rest of the house but all that’s left is the bedroom and the bathroom attached.”

  She swallowed. “Sure.”

  He led the way to the room she’d seen at the end of the hall. Even when he’d left her alone earlier, she hadn’t wandered in there. It felt so private, she hadn’t wanted to intrude. But now that he’d invited her, she stepped inside and her stomach flipped at the sight of the large, comfortable bed with the inviting throw and cozy pillows. It was the last thing she’d expected from rough and tough Grayden Larchmont.

  “What is it?” he asked and she turned to find his eyes on her.

  “Nothing, I just didn’t expect this. It’s beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” His eyes darkened and he stepped toward her, grabbing her good wrist and guiding her hand to his chest. “I want you to be comfortable,” he said, his voice dropping low.

  It sent a shudder of desire through her. When her palm pressed against his chest, her skin tingled and she imagined what it would be like to touch him without the barrier of his thin shirt in her way.

  “I meant what I said earlier,” he said, leaning closer until his hot breath washed over her cheeks.

  “About protecting me?” she asked. She tried remembering what he’d said earlier, back at the shelter, but standing here in his bedroom with her knees up against his mattress and her hand on his chest, she couldn’t think clearly.

  “About wanting you,” he said. “My bear wants you, Rachel. Not just for a date or two but as a mate. I need you to know that before we go any further. If we do this, you’ll be mine. Bears mate for life.”

  Rachel’s breath caught. She stared up at him, her bottom lip caught in her teeth. She knew what he was saying, what he was asking. This moment stood for a lot more than just attraction and lust and what promised to be great sex. She would belong to him.

  She should have been terrified or at least uncertain. She barely knew Grayden. He barely knew her. But as she stared into his blue-gray eyes, she knew in her heart that she was sure. She’d never been more sure. All of her insecurity and uncertainty fell away. She couldn’t for the life of her remember a reason to tell him no. Instead, heart pounding in her ears, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and drew him close.

  “I’ve wanted you for so long,” she whispered. “Love me. Heal me. Claim me, Grayden. I’m already yours.”

  Grayden’s eyes gleamed. His hand came around to cup her neck and he drew her up to him as he closed the distance and kissed her.

  His mouth was hot on hers and even though he moved excruciatingly slowly, she could feel the tension in him. The need. He wanted more. But he was waiting on her. Rachel’s fear dropped away and she gave in, losing herself in the kiss.

  When her lips parted and Grayden’s tongue dragged across hers, she moaned against him and hung on tighter. Grayden growled and his other hand found her hip, his fingers dipping underneath her shirt to caress the skin there. He hesitated before moving up to brush her breast, but Rachel didn’t stop him. Her skin burned wherever he touched. There was no fear. No hesitation. Only need. Only Grayden’s hands and the sensation of being loved and worshipped.

  “More, Grayden,” she whispered against his mouth and Grayden complied.

  His hand slipped down to cup her ass and then she was being lifted and laid gently against the mattress behind her. Grayden dragged her shirt up and over her head and then her pants were gone too. With an air of reverence, he bent down and slowly, he dragged her panties off and then her bra. He tossed them aside and then stood over her, staring down as she lay on her back, completely on display. His gray eyes reminded her of a brewing thunderstorm. The air between them crackled with energy.

  Rachel’s heart thudded wildly as he studied her, suddenly vulnerable in a way she’d never known. She was aware of her ample curves and rounded figure and she desperately wanted to be enough for him.

  “God, you are so beautiful,” he said, bending low to trace a finger along the curve of her breast. The contact, and the words, sent a shiver through her. But not from fear. There was nothing to be afraid of, not with Grayden.

  She smiled and then tipped her head back to moan as his thumb brushed her nipple. She writhed, her body aching for release, but Grayden wasn’t in a rush. He cupped one breast, then another, his mouth pressing small kisses along her hips and across her belly, as he explored her body.

  She had never felt so adored in her life. Or so frustrated.

  “Please, Grayden,” she said, arching her back as his hand finally dipped low between her thighs. His fingers traced the line of her wet folds, massaging her clit and making her jump with the foreign sensation. No one had ever touched her quite like this.

  His mouth closed over her breast at the same instant he pushed a finger inside her and she almost lost it. She was close to coming for him, so close, and she clung for dear life as she chased her own release. He added a second finger, working his hand in and out of her, a slow and steady rhythm that had her clutching his hair in her fingers as his tongue swirled around the tip of her beaded nipple.

  It was too much and still, it wasn’t enough.

  “More,” she rasped, shocked to hear how ragged her voice and breathing sounded. But Grayden lifted his head, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

  “I don’t want to go too fast,” he said but she raised her head and glared at him.

  “Stop teasing me right now, Grayden Larchmont,” she demanded.

  He laughed, his fingers still working in and out of her as he rose over her. “Or what? You’ll take me into custody,” he said, eyes gleaming.

  She rolled her hips, wanting to argue or wipe that smile off his beautiful face, but it was all she could do to concentrate on the words as he sent her closer and closer to her orgasm.

  “If that’s what it takes,” she panted but they both knew she wasn’t doing anything but this right now.

  “Mm, a tempting offer,” he said, his fingers moving faster now. Rachel squirmed, her hands tangling in his hair as he sent her up. But then, abruptly, his fingers slipped out and he rose above her, leaving her tingling and empty as he drew his shirt off and then his pants.

  She considered pointing a weapon at him to make him hurry back to finish what he’d just started. She was desperate with the need for her release.

  “Grayden, I mean it,” she said but he was already back, naked and sheathed with a condom, positioning himself over her so that his thick erection pressed against her wet opening.

  “I know you do,” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers as he pushed into her. “Tell me if I hurt you.”

  But there was no pain, only pleasure, as Grayden entered her. Stretching her and filling her until she was dizzy with the sensation of it. He moved slowly, careful with her, as he pushed deeper.

  When he drew out again, she arched her hips against the idea of him leaving her, and he grinned down at her. “Relax,” he said, “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He pushed into her harder this time and she moaned, closing her eyes and rolling her hips to meet him. Grayden’s expression tightened and his brows wrinkled in concern. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “No, I mean, yes. I mean faster,” she ground out, pleading the last word to him like a prayer.

  Grayden groaned and increased the speed, driving into her with a rhythm and pressure that made Rachel’s back arch as she rolled up to take all of him. Faster, harder, higher, he drove her with his powerful thrusts. His hands tangled in her hair. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, clinging to him as he flung her toward release faster than she ever thought possible.

  “Mine,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear as he pounded into her. “You’re mine.”

  Her orgasm shook through her so fast and so hard, she barely had time to see it coming. She shuddered with it, vaguely aware of her own voice as she yelled Grayden’s name into the oblivion. Still, Grayden didn’t slow his pace. Even as the aftershocks tore through her, she wanted to yell and scream and moan and laugh all at once.

  With a final, powerful thrust, Grayden’s body went rigid and she felt the spurts of warmth as he emptied himself inside her. Rachel sighed, sinking into the soft blankets and reveling in the hard planes of Grayden’s body still pressed tight to hers. Still buried inside her, she could feel every inch of him, and she pressed a kiss to his shoulder, overcome.

  For ten years, she’d avoided this. Avoided men and sex and anything that put her body under the control of another. But with Grayden, there was no fear. No worry that he’d take more than she offered. He was careful and gentle, but more than that, she wanted to give to him. She’d offered herself so completely and he hadn’t abused the gift. Something inside Rachel’s heart settled, like the cracks re-sealing themselves, and she sighed.

  Grayden Larchmont, for all his brute force and short-tempered brawling, had just healed her with tenderness. He’d claimed her and she couldn’t be happier with the knowledge that she was his.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  GRAYDEN

  Finally sated, Grayden’s bear snored lazily in the corners of his mind as he dressed and pulled his boots on again. God, he’d just had the best sex of his life. But more than that, he felt rooted. To the woman in the other room. To his life. To his family—which now included Rachel Hawkins. He’d never brawl over the denial of his bear’s needs again. He just hoped she still felt the same. Caught up in the moment earlier, she’d said she wanted to be his. But she was human. These things happened differently for them, right? Slower. And Rachel needed slow.

  He ran a hand through his hair just as the bathroom door opened and Rachel walked out, also dressed again. She smiled at him and his heart lurched at the way her eyes lit with it. He’d made her smile—a real, genuine smile only for him. He would never get tired of the feeling it gave him.

  He crossed the room and took her in his arms. “Officer Hawkins,” he said, nuzzling her neck and she giggled.

  “Careful. You bring the law into this and there could be consequences.”

  “Have I violated my probation?” he asked, a smile tugging on his mouth as he trailed kisses over her throat.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close as she sighed. “Mm, you’ve violated something, that’s for sure,” she murmured and he laughed.

  “Oh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” he told her and when he looked down into her eyes, he saw only desire and trust, no fear. Good. He knew what she’d been through in college had scarred her. He hoped he could heal that scar. He wanted her to feel only pleasure from here on.

  “Sounds like a threat,” she said, pretending to frown.

  He bent low and kissed her until he heard her heart pounding as the scent of her lust reached him and his own blood roared in his ears. His bear stirred as did his cock. “Not a threat,” he said, drawing back before they both got lost in each other again. “A promise.” He studied her face, looking for some sign that she still wanted his promises. That she wasn’t wishing they’d waited or⁠—

  “Stop looking so worried,” she said, drawing his face down with her hands and nuzzling their noses together.

  “If we moved too fast for you,” he began but she pressed her fingers to his lips, silencing him.

  “There’s no going back now,” she said. “I know enough about shifters and mates to know that if you claimed me, you can’t get out of this so don’t even try.”

  Grayden’s lips curved around her hand. “I won’t,” he promised. “Not ever.”

  “Then I won’t either. So stop worrying. Besides, I’m a cop. You can’t get away from me. I always get my man,” she said and giggled.

  His cock hardened at the sound and he groaned. “Woman, you’re making it real hard for me to stop touching you right now.”

  “Literally hard, I see,” she said, rubbing a hand over his crotch.

  “Tease.” He grimaced and then stepped back, adjusting himself and making his way toward the door and away from her teasing hands. He held it open and motioned for her to go first so he’d have time to calm down before the guys spotted them. “Come on,” he said, let’s feed you before we go for round two.”

  Rachel grinned and walked outside.

  Twilight had fallen around them, casting long shadows over the lawn from the woods beyond their clearing. Grayden inhaled the scent of pine and dirt, and exhaled appreciatively. He laced his fingers through Rachel’s as they approached the others still outside gathered around the table.

  By now, the food had been cooked and the grill shut down. The men sat eating and drinking, finally subdued with the task at hand. Warner jumped up from the end of the table as Grayden and Rachel walked up.

  “You can have my seat, Officer Hawkins,” Warner said, clearing his plate to make room.

  “Call me Rachel,” she said and Grayden saw Ryker’s brow shoot up.

  “Sure,” Warner said as Rachel sat.

  Grayden shoved Beck so he could fit in beside Rachel on the bench seat, and handed her a plate. “Help yourself,” he said but Rachel didn’t move.

  Grayden looked up to find every single one of the guys starting at them, frozen in place. “What the hell are you all looking at?” Grayden demanded, anger bubbling up at the way Rachel had gone still, hands in her lap. He grabbed her hand and watched as Beck zeroed in on their joined hands.

  “Where’s Hunt?” Grayden asked before anyone could say something stupid.

  “Went into town to help at the bar,” Warner said before swigging his beer. He’d gone around and sat across from Rachel and even as he answered Grayden’s question was still looking at her. Grayden ground his teeth together. What the hell? They were all acting like idiots and assholes.

  Before he could blast them about being either, Warner leaned forward and lowered his voice, speaking to Rachel in a conspiratorial tone. “So?” he asked, looking eager. “What was it like arresting the great and terrible Grayden Larchmont?”

  Rachel smirked and leaned toward Warner. “Way too easy,” she said. “I didn’t even get to use my gun.”

  Warner and Ryker laughed and Grayden glared. Beck stuck his hand across the table, forcing Grayden to lean back to give them room. “Beck Donnelly,” he said simply and Grayden scowled when their palms met in a quick shake.

  “Ryker Walsh,” Ryker said, also shaking her hand and Warner was last.

  “Warner Scott,” he said, offering a wink to go with it that had Grayden growling and Warner backing off with mock-innocence.

  “Nice to officially meet all of you. Call me Rachel,” Rachel said.

  “For taking Grayden down,” Warner said, handing her a beer.

  “Give her two,” Beck said. “One for taking him in and one for taking him to bed,” he added and the others hooted. “Maybe now he’ll be easier to be around.”

  Rachel’s cheeks heated and Grayden could only shake his head.

  “Guys,” Grayden said when they’d quieted. “I need you all to know that Rachel’s going to be around for a while. Go easy on her,” he said but Ryker shook his head.

  “Nah. We already know you’ve claimed her,” he said.

  “Which is why we can’t go easy on her,” Beck added. “If she’s family, she gets treated as such.”

  Warner raised his beer in a toast. “To having a lady-cop in the fam,” he said and Ryker and Beck raised their drinks.

  “Damn right,” Beck said and Ryker echoed it.

  Grayden looked over at Rachel, terrified it was all too much too soon, but she’d already raised her beer as well and was smiling at them, then at him. “To family,” she said and Grayden felt his heart swell.

  “To family,” he finally said and they all clinked cans and downed their drinks.

  The meal resumed and Grayden had to force his hands off Rachel long enough to eat. The moment he finished, though, he found himself rubbing her back or thigh or just holding her hand while they all talked and finished their drinks. Darkness fell around them, the crickets and night noises offering a soundtrack in the background. Grayden sighed, content for the first time he could remember.