Saving Her Bear: A Second Chances Romance by Alana Hart, Michaela Wright

back. He was over her in an instant, the bristles of his facial hair catching at her lip.
    She yanked his shirt up, letting her nails run over the bare skin of his back. He growled into her mouth, moving over her with intention. Catherine reached down to his backside, pulling him against her.
    Suddenly, John pulled from her arms, sitting upright in the driver’s seat as he ran his hands through his hair.
    She lay there a moment, watching him. “What are you doing?”
    He shook his head. “Getting my shit together.”
    Catherine glanced into the bed of the truck. The sleeping bags and air mattress were still packed there. She exhaled, excited at the notion of having him, just as she’d silently imagined as she drifted to sleep the night before. Ten years had passed, and yet still, she was ready to give herself to this man after less than a day together.
    My God, what do you do to me, John? She thought.
    John straightened in the driver’s seat, moving to put the key in the ignition.
    “What are you doing?”
    He wouldn’t look at her. “I should take you back to your truck.”
    His body was tense, the muscles of his forearms wound tight.
    “You’ve got to be kidding me? John Fenn, if you take me back to my truck after that, I will kill you.”
    He snorted in a half laugh, then frowned. “I have to.”
    Catherine lunged across the truck and pulled the keys from the ignition before he could protest. “Tell me why, then. If you’re going to open this door and then slam it shut like nothing happened, you tell me why.”
    He ran his hands over his face and his body jerked as though he’d almost lunged at her. Dear god, she wanted him to.
    “I don’t want to fuck this up,” he said.
    Catherine shook her head. “It’s been ten years, and you still give me the shivers. Don’t you dare tell me you don’t want to.”
    He glared at her. “I promise you, I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
    “Then come here.”
    He licked his lips, letting her take his hand and tug him across the truck. He leaned toward her, returning a soft kiss, before turning away. “Things are gonna go south real fucking quick if we don’t stop.”
    Catherine pressed her nose to his ear, nibbling at his earlobe as he was clearly fighting to keep his hands still. “Tell me why,” she whispered.
    He shivered to her touch, closing his eyes. “Because what I want will scare you.”
    She stopped, turning his face to make him look at her. His blue eyes bore into her then, and she almost had to look away.
    “Tell me what you want. You won’t scare me.”
    The woods were growing dark around them, the perfect conditions to shag wildly in the back of a pickup truck on a near abandoned dirt road.
    He took a deep breath, blowing it out through his nose. Then he stared at her face, unwavering. “I want to hunt you.”
    Catherine’s brow furrowed as she searched his face. “What do you mean? Why?”
    “I can’t explain it. I don’t want you to just give yourself to me, not the first time.”
    Catherine swallowed. “Do you want to hurt me?”
    “No! I would never hurt you.”
    “Then, I don’t understand.”
    He took an exasperated breath. “This is when almost every other woman I’ve been with ran for the fucking hills.”
    “Just tell me, John!”
    “I want to hunt you down. Like an animal. I want to hunt you down and claim you - and make you mine.”
    Catherine stared at this man she’d thought about for so many years. His request seemed dark, almost unnerving, but in those blue eyes, there was an almost beseeching nature behind the request, like he needed this.
    “You want me to fight you?”
    He leaned his head back. “It doesn’t matter. I know it’s a fucked up thing. Don’t even worry about it. I’ll take you back to your truck.”
    He turned toward her, his hand out in wait of the keys. Catherine turned from him, pulling the handle of the passenger door. A moment later she was standing along the side of the dirt