CLAIM. MATE. NOW.His bear roared so loud his vision edged with red.
"Joy." Her name emerged as pure gravel, more growl than word.
She swayed toward him, eyes heavy-lidded. His hand rose without conscious thought, hovering near her cheek. Not touching. Asking. Begging.
Her eyes fluttered closed. Permission granted.
Andre leaned in slowly, fighting every instinct screaming at him to claim hard and fast. Their breath mingled in the shrinking space. Her scent nearly buckled his knees.
So close. Her lips right there. One more inch and he'd taste her, know if she tasted as sweet as she smelled. His bear clawed for freedom, demanding he close the distance, bite down, make her his forever.
Blazing white light flooded the yard. The motion sensor screamed to life, bathing them in harsh LED brightness.
They jerked apart like they'd been electrocuted. Joy's hand flew to her throat, cheeks flushed deep rose. Andre's hands clenched into fists, claws threatening to emerge as his bear howled at the interruption.
"The system. It works great." Her voice came out breathless, carefully controlled. "Thank you."
Every cell in his body screamed to pull her back. To finish what they'd started. To say fuck the lights and claim his mate against the side of her tiny house until she screamed his name.
"I should go." The words tasted like ash. "You need rest."
She nodded, not meeting his eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself for protection. Or maybe she was holding herself back, just like he was.
Andre forced himself to pack up. Each movement felt like swimming through concrete. The ladder folded with sharp metallic protests. Extension cords coiled with mechanical precision. His tablet tucked away safe. These normal actions were made surreal by the taste of her breath still on his lips.
"Thank you," she said as he loaded the last box. "For everything. Last night, today. The coffee. I... appreciate it."
He wanted to say so much. Wanted to tell her how she was breaking him apart with need. How his bear clawed at him every second he wasn't touching her. How he'd install a thousand cameras if it kept her safe.
"Call if you need anything. Any questions about the system."
"I will."
Andre climbed into the patrol vehicle, every movement mechanical. Professional. The opposite of what roared through his blood. He reversed out of her driveway, gravel crunching under his tires.
At the main road, he let himself look back. She stood exactly where he'd left her, bathed in the motion sensor's glow. One hand pressed to her lips like she was holding in words. Or maybe remembering the kiss that almost was.
Chapter
Nine
Joy dippedthe metal ladle into the melting pot, watching golden beeswax flow like honey. The double boiler required constant attention, but her mind kept drifting to the night before. Her fingers rose to her lips without conscious thought, tracing where Andre's mouth had almost touched hers.
The workshop filled with the sweet scent of beeswax and the sharper note of lavender. Too late, she realized she'd added the essential oil to what should have been an unscented batch. Her mountain lion paced restlessly beneath her skin, muscles coiling and releasing with each breath.
Her phone buzzed against the worktable, and Andre's name lit up the screen.
"Good morning. Hope you slept well. No more goat jailbreaks?"
Joy stared at the message. The casual check-in felt loaded with meaning, weighted by everything unsaid between them. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard, but no words came. What could she say? That she'd barely slept, replaying that almost-kissuntil dawn? That her lion had prowled her dreams, searching for its mate?
The rumble of an engine pulled her attention to the window. Her mother's truck bounced up the dirt drive, dust swirling in its wake. Maria rarely visited during work hours. Joy's stomach tightened with the particular anxiety that came from mothers who knew their daughters too well.
She set the ladle aside and stepped out to meet her. Maria climbed from the truck carrying a cloth shopping bag. The morning sun caught the silver threading through her dark hair.
"Thought you might need some real food after yesterday's chaos." Maria opened the cloth bag to reveal a carton of eggs, wrapped packages of beef, and a plastic bag with bright red tomatoes and lettuce from her garden.
"Thanks, Mom." Joy accepted the bag. "You didn't have to drive all the way out here."
