“I do it when I like the way your face looks. You are a quiet man, a reserved man, and you have this ability to hold your face frozen when you don’t want people seeing what you are thinking. But I can tell. It’s in your eyes. I like the way you look right after you kiss me.”
Dangerous, observant woman. Lena would guess what he was long before he was ready to tell her. The idea of her looking at him in disgust made his bear want to claw out of his skin, so Jenner cleared his throat and blinked hard to stifle the stabbing pain in his middle.
“Are you okay?” Lena asked, worry tainting her words.
“I’m fine. Listen, about the bears. We’re close to the river, which means we have to be wary out here. We won’t be talking as much, and no playing around until I have us somewhere safer to camp tonight, okay?”
Her pretty honey-brown eyes had gone round and serious, and for the first time since he’d met her, she gave off the faint smell of fear. “Okay.”
“Lena, I won’t let anything happen to you, do you hear me? There is no need to be scared. I’m here.” Always.
She nodded, pursing her lips, and he wanted to kiss them soft again. Wanted to make her feel safe again, but she should be nervous. She needed to keep her wits about her and be wary about their surroundings as much as he was.
“When we’re out there, the bears will likely be so engrossed with the salmon run, they won’t pester us, but some get curious. It depends on the cast of bears in this territory. If they get too close, you do exactly what I say.”
“Will you know some of the bears?”
He drew up straight in the saddle as if he’d been electrocuted. Had she already guessed what he was? “What?”
“Have you seen these bears before when you’ve been scouting?”
“Oh.” His shoulders relaxed, and he huffed a relieved breath. “Yeah, I’ll likely know most of them. But I’m serious, Lena. These aren’t like black bears. If I tell you to do something, it’s not up for discussion. You just do it, okay?”
“I will.” She swallowed audibly. “I trust you.”
Jenner had stared at her lips as she’d said those three words. I trust you. Her instincts really were broken then, but he couldn’t get himself to tell her how wrong she was to give her trust to an animal like him. Selfishly, he wanted to revel in this moment because it was the first time anyone in his life had said that to him.
“You want to take me in those woods and do dirty things to me, don’t you?” she asked, her soft brown eyes sparking with challenge.
“Woman, believe me when I say you don’t want me covering you right now. You’ll be sore from last night, and I won’t be easy today. Don’t tempt me, minx.” Jenner kicked his horse and pulled in front of Gunner again.
Oh, he wanted her bad. Couldn’t think about much else other than pinning her against a tree and claiming her completely. He wanted her from behind, a fresh bite mark from his teeth on her shoulder. If she knew about his dark needs, she wouldn’t be teasing him.
Right now, he needed to focus on something other than claiming her body, though, and that was keeping her safe. Lena had become precious to him. Last night he’d slept the entire night with her, even though he’d only meant to let her fall asleep next to him. That shit couldn’t happen again. She was clouding his judgement. He should’ve been out in the open, listening for danger all night, not letting the rain against the tent muddle his senses.
Did he want to take her in the woods and make her scream his name? Hell yeah, now more than ever. She was his. His Lena, his mate, and that faint scent of brown bear had him feeling desperate for the first time in his life. His insides were churning with something he didn’t quite understand, and as he looked back at her, something slowly clicked into place.
For the first time ever, he was afraid.
He was afraid that he wouldn’t be enough to keep her safe out here.
Ripping his gaze away from the fear in her eyes, fury flooded his veins. His inner monster pulsed within him, angry at this moment of weakness. He was beast, and none of these grizzlies out here had anything on him. With his life, he would protect Lena.
Fuck being afraid. He would keep her safe.
He had to.
She was his mate to protect now.
Chapter Nine
Lena had never felt as exposed as she did now, hiking beside Jenner through an open field. There was a grizzly eating vegetation to their left, but it was too far away to get a proper picture. And besides, that one didn’t seem to be the one Jenner was hunting.
He gave the bear a slit-eyed glance, then inhaled deeply and led them toward the river, adjusting the strap of his rifle as he walked with long, deliberate strides beside her.
If Jenner was nervous, she couldn’t tell. She, on the other hand, was shaking so badly that it was hard to walk in a straight line.