““He released her and traced one finger – just one finger – across her cheekbone, nose and down her jaw. “I’ve never had anybody that was just mine. All mine.” His touch ignited her skin, heating all the way down her body. A pulse set up between her legs. She kept perfectly still. “I have no intention of being all yours. If this happens, after a lot of negotiation, then we’ll go our separate ways.” His hands caressed down, easily enclosing her entire neck. “You really think that’s how a mating happens with a shifter? Any shifter? Much less with me?” His hold was infinitely gentle, but the strength in those fingers, in that broad palm, couldn’t be denied. “You chose an alpha, baby. Head of the entire grizzly nation.” “Aye,” she whispered, her trachea moving against his hold. His head lowered solely, deliberately, his molten gaze trapping hers. “Do you honestly think I’d let my mate go? Ever?””
