Bear-ly A Hero (Bear Claw Security 2)

S
ince she’d walked
into Bear Claw Security, nothing had turned out the way Jamie planned.

She resisted the urge to bite her nails as she waited for the men in front of her to talk. She felt absolutely frozen by them. She’d known the men working at a personal security firm, particularly one used by shifters, would have to be fit and muscled, but these men were
huge
.

And hot.

The one who seemed in charge had dark-blond hair shot through with golden highlights and a classically handsome face with a crooked smile. He was wearing a professional, dark-gray suit that had to have been tailored to fit so well on such a massive body.

The man sitting next to him was stunning as well, with dark hair and dark-blue eyes and the same height and broad build as the blond. But a more rugged look to his face.

From the name of the company, she guessed they were bear shifters. But somehow, she hadn’t expected them to be so much bigger than the shifters she’d known.

Perhaps they were alpha males. If so, she should probably turn and walk out. She’d only met alpha males of her species, and they were complete jerks, even without this kind of weight to throw around.

She was beginning to think she’d made a huge mistake.

Normal men scared her. Men like this made her want to hide in a cupboard.

The blond one leaned forward, clasping his hands. “I’m Bronson, and this is Cage. What can we do for you?” His voice was calm, maybe slightly amused by her frozen state.

She clenched her jaw and tried to tell herself to calm down.

The office around her was professional enough, with nice, strong furnishings with a modern edge. Lots of chrome and dark-finished wood. Simple. And she knew the men in front of her had excellent qualifications.

“I thought there were three of you,” she asked, hoping beyond hope that maybe the third partner was someone she
could
work with.

“Right,” Bronson said. “Our security specialist is out getting lunch.”

“Oh,” she said faintly. Then she cleared her throat, summoning her courage. “So your tech guy?”

“Yeah,” Cage said. “Limes can do anything with a computer.”

She swallowed, her throat tight and dry. Her eyes flicked to a ring on Cage’s left hand, and relief flooded her. At least he was taken. That made him less threatening, but still not right for what she needed.

And she could never let the blond, with his cocky movie star smile and bodybuilder strength, spend a lot of time with her either. He’d make her too nervous.

“So… what is Limes like?” she asked, testing the odd name on her tongue. She gestured to the two of them. “Does he look like either of you?”

Bronson raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Cage, and then both shook their heads. “I’m not sure exactly what you mean or what’s making you nervous, but no, he doesn’t look like either of us. Limes looks like… Limes.” Bronson let out a laugh.

“Good,” she said, releasing a sigh of relief.

He was the tech guy. He would hopefully be a nerd, not a muscle-bound giant like them. After all, the computer guy didn’t need to be huge. He just needed to be smart.

“Then I’d like to hire Limes.”

She pictured the opposite of Cage and Bronson, who exuded an air of danger even while they were being friendly. She let out a shudder. Limes would hopefully be someone calm. Non-threatening. Skinny and nerdy like the other IT guys at work. Yes, Limes was her only hope at this point.

“Why Limes?” Bronson asked. “You need something hacked?”

“No,” she said. “I need a bodyguard.”

Bronson rubbed the back of his neck. “Limes doesn’t do fieldwork. It’d be better if you worked with one of us.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, feeling panic resounding faintly inside her again, like an echo off cramped, iron walls. “Why doesn’t he do fieldwork?”

Limes was her only hope.

“He’s a hacker. We need him here doing computer work,” Bronson said.

“He can set up a server at my place,” she said.

“Oh yeah?” Bronson said. “You think that would be secure?”

She swallowed and folded her hands in her lap, leaning slightly forward. “I think he’d be able to figure something out. I have a pretty good setup over there. Since I work in tech, too.”

Bronson just blinked at her for a moment and was completely silent. Then, after a look at Cage, he bit his lip. “Maybe you better just start from the beginning and tell us more about you and what you need from us. Then we can decide who’s working with you.”

She wasn’t working with some gorgeous, intimidating man-beast, so it was really a moot point. But she guessed she might as well give them some information. “I work in an office. I do IT work. Tech support.”

“So you and Limes have some things in common?” Bronson asked, raising a blond eyebrow.

“Maybe,” she said. “Although, I’m sure he’s more advanced than I can ever hope to be.”

Cage looked uncertain. “I just don’t know if Limes is the right person for this. We don’t usually have him… work with people.”

“Is something wrong with him?” she asked.

Cage waved a hand. “What is it you need done?”

She reached in her purse and pulled out the threatening notes she’d been getting. There were only two of them, but just the sight of them made her spine tighten with fear.

Cage unfolded one and handed the other to Bronson to read. Bronson’s brow tightened in visible anger, and then he set the note back on the table between them. Cage set the other down as well.

Bronson leaned back with folded arms. “Any idea who it is?”

She shook her head. Well, maybe she had some guesses, but she didn’t see why she had to say that now. She could talk about it with Limes, if they decided to let her work with him.

“Limes can still fight, though, right?” she asked. “Weren’t you all in the military together?” She needed a nerdy, non-intimidating type, but she still needed a bodyguard.

“Of course,” Bronson said. “Though he fights a bit different than either of us.”

She could imagine. Maybe he was the smart, quiet type who fought intelligently, not like a brute. She could already picture it now. She’d always liked the quiet, unassuming guys.

“But I really can’t recommend you work with Limes,” Bronson said, rubbing the back of his head. “For one thing, I don’t know if he’ll agree, and for two, I usually do protection details.” He winked and flexed a bicep.

Oh, hell no
.

“Definitely not,” she choked out. “But I don’t get it. If he can fight and he’s willing to do it, then what’s the problem?”

“Um, well, to be honest, there’s a reason we don’t send Limes on fieldwork,” Bronson said nervously.

“What is it?” she asked, twisting her hands in the hem of her sweater.

“Are you easily offended?” Cage asked.

“Do you care about social skills?” Bronson asked.

“Um… not particularly. I just want to be safe.” And not constantly overwhelmed by male energy. No, having a six-foot-five male like Bronson tromping around her apartment would only cause chaos.

“Then you may be okay,” Bronson said. “But we typically limit Limes’s interaction with clients. Because he’s, um… How do we say it…?” He looked at Cage, who rubbed his chin.

“Rude,” Cage said flatly. “He can be rude.”

“And negative,” Bronson said. “Limes isn’t his real name, you know. We gave him that name in the military, and it was well deserved.”

“Ah, so he’s…” She bit her lip.

“Sour,” Bronson finished, folding his arms. “Grumpy, to put it mildly. Look, we’d be happy to do a protection detail, but I’m afraid Limes is out of the question.”

“But she’s a computer person,” Cage said in a low voice to Bronson. “Don’t you think maybe it’s a good match? Maybe it’s time we got Limes out of the office anyhow.”

Bronson pressed his lips together thoughtfully, and then a slow grin spread over his face. “Interesting. I guess so.”

She didn’t know what they were talking about.

“I mean, she wants to hire him. It’s not our fault.” Cage persisted.

Okay, that made her a little bit nervous.

“Right.” Bronson agreed, like she wasn’t there. “It’s not like he can get mad at us. Business is business.” He turned to her. “You insist on having Limes, right? No one else will do?”

“Not unless there’s someone else around here?” she asked.

“I should be offended,” Bronson said playfully. “But no, no one else.”

“Then Limes it is. As long as he can fight,” she added.

“Lady, we were all Special Forces. We can take anything on two legs. Or four.” Well, that was good since her problem could very well involve shifters. But the whole situation was making her uncomfortable, and she decided it was time to go.

She picked up her notes and put them back in her purse. She handed them a file she’d put together with her address, contact info, and what she was looking for as far as a protection detail. “I’ve put some pertinent info in there for you, well, Limes, to look at. If you want. Or I can talk to him tonight at my place.”

Bronson looked shocked. “You mean you want us to just send him right over?”

“Yes,” she said. “Is there a problem?”

Bronson scratched his chin. “Well, all right. We’ll get him to meet you at least. See what happens.”

“Great,” she said, gathering up her things and standing. She went on legs that felt unstable to shake their hands and then turned to go.

“You want to know what he looks like?” Cage asked.

“I’m sure I’ll know him when I see him,” she said, anxious to get out of there.

“Yeah, you probably will,” Bronson said. “Call us if you have any problems.”

“I will.” She’d just watch for a computer nerd; that was all. For now, she wanted to go home and lock the doors and rest for a while. Get the scent of male out of her nose. Be alone.

And then meet Limes and hopefully get help with the person or people stalking her.

She pushed the button to close the elevator doors and leaned back against the wall with a sigh.

It hadn’t been fun visiting Bear Claw Security, but it was her best possible chance if she wanted to stay safe.

L
imes fought
the irritation rising in him as he fingered the folder Bronson had just placed on his desk the second he returned with lunch.

Bronson was the boss of this place, but right now, he looked smug, and Limes didn’t like that one bit.

“What’s going on?” he asked, opening the file to scan it quickly. It didn’t look that interesting. Some chick looking for a bodyguard. “Why did you hand me this? You know I don’t do fieldwork.”

“It’s a shifter client,” Bronson said. “If I had to guess, wolf.”

Limes shrugged. “We get shifter clients all the time. You always guard them. What’s the big deal?”

Bronson folded his arms, a smirk on his Hollywood face that made Limes want to throw something at him. “She asked for you specifically.”

Limes grunted. “Yeah. Right.”

“No, she really did,” Cage said, coming in behind Bronson. Cage was looking all too smug these days, too, with his pretty new mate that served as office manager when she wasn’t busy cuddling him.

Limes had never gotten that mushy stuff. All he needed was his computers. His work.

“She was pretty insistent,” Cage said. “If we want the case, you’re going to have to take it.”

Limes sighed. “Did she say why she wanted me?”

“Maybe because you’re both into computers?” Bronson suggested. “Did you read that part yet?”

Limes flipped through the file. “Damn, so she is.” He shrugged. “Still, can’t do it. You know me. I’m bad with people.”

“That’s because you don’t even try,” Bronson said.

Limes gave them a dour look. “Right. Well, anyway, tell her the answer’s no.”

“Tell her yourself,” Bronson said, his usually cheerful voice turning authoritative and strong. “This girl isn’t accepting anyone else, so if you’re going to leave her unprotected, I want you to deliver the news.”

“She can take one of you,” Limes said. “Probably Bronson, since that would be more appropriate for a twenty-four-seven detail with a single female involved.”

Bronson smiled. “I would’ve been happy to. But she wanted you, Limes. Deal with it.”

Wants me? Only because she doesn’t know me
, he almost said, but he stopped himself, running a hand over his head. All he’d pretty much done in life was lose friends and alienate people—until he’d met Cage and Bronson.

These two men were the only friends he had, and he supposed he couldn’t afford to lose them.

He stood slowly, closing the file and putting it into his jacket. “Fine. I’ll go tell her I can’t do it. Tell her she’s better off with one of you.”

“Fine,” Bronson said. “If you can convince her. I gotta say she seemed pretty stubborn.”

Limes shrugged. “Not more stubborn than me. I guarantee that.”

He looked up to see that neither of his friends was arguing with him, and Bronson laughed.

“I kind of wish I could be there to see this,” he said.

Limes frowned. “Yeah, I bet.”

Cage put an arm around Limes’s shoulders, and he shrugged him quickly off. “You’ll do fine. You might even like her.”

“Yeah, right,” Limes said sarcastically. Women were fine. He liked them as clients, and he did his best to watch out for those he met in his own way. Then he said good-bye. He didn’t do the whole “like” thing. That just wasn’t his jam.

“Try to keep an open mind,” Bronson said as Limes zipped his jacket.

“You better hope she lets me out of this,” Limes said. “Because who’s going to do your tech work when I’m out?”

“I’m sure we can figure something out,” Bronson said. “You can use her server.”

“Yeah, right,” Limes said. “Well, I suppose I could try and set something up—” He cut himself off with a hard shake of his head. “No. There is no setup. I’m not doing this job.” He scowled at Bronson and Cage, making his point. “I’m just going to go to her place and show her exactly why she doesn’t want to work with me.”

Bronson shrugged his large shoulders. “Fine by me. But, Limes?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t lose us a client,” he said.

Limes laughed darkly. “Don’t worry, Bronson. I’m sure you can afford it.” He saw Bronson’s expression darken, as it always did when someone referenced the old money he came from, the money that had helped them start the business.

But Limes was out of the office and into the elevator before the other man could catch him.

It felt good to be one step ahead of everyone. And Limes was always one step ahead.

J
amie didn’t know
how her worst nightmare had somehow materialized on her front porch.

The man standing outside her door, looking at the peephole, was exactly the reason she needed Bear Claw Security. She had no chance in hell going up against someone like him alone.

Was he her stalker?

She stayed silent and still, watching as he stared at the door with an impatient glare and then swaggered off the front steps to walk around and look in her front window. She ducked behind her hall tree and clutched the umbrella she’d grabbed to her chest, hoping she was out of sight in the dark living room.

When she’d heard the doorbell, she’d assumed it was Limes, the tech guy they were sending over from Bear Claw Security.

But just in case it was someone else trying to get her to open the door, she’d left the living room lights off and crept out to look through the peephole. Lately, she couldn’t be too careful.

But then she’d looked out at the person on the porch and known she never should have come to the door at all.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she saw his large shape pass in front of her bay window.

He was gigantic. Maybe even taller than the shifters she’d met today. Maybe the same size. But what made him about five times scarier was his dress and demeanor.

When he walked back around to the front door, she stood quietly to look through the peephole again.

He was clearly a thug.

He had extremely short hair, nearly buzzed off. Stubble shading a severe, masculine jaw and accentuating sharp cheekbones. A mouth set in a hard line. Narrowed eyes in a permanent glare. His worn-out punk tee showed off full-sleeve tattoos on each arm, all the way to his wrists, and a piercing twinkled from one ear.

Then there was his sheer size. The muscles spreading over his chest and down his tattooed arms were so large she wondered how he even put his arms down. But he moved with a feline grace that almost terrified her. His hands were deft as he reached in his pocket and took out a tool that looked like something he might pick a lock with.

Oh hell, he was going to try and break into her house.

What did they want from her? Was it someone random stalking her or someone associated with the shifters she’d run away from?

She had no idea, and either option was terrifying.

Ugh, why hadn’t she learned how to fight?

He crouched in front of the door, putting his tool up to the lock, and her eyes soaked in his massive frame, bunched up as he squatted. His thighs were impossibly big. Bigger than her head.

She looked down at the umbrella in her hand. Not good enough. She had grabbed it out of sheer panic, and even the wooden handle wouldn’t be half what she needed.

The doorknob jiggled, and she put her hands over her mouth. Should she run and call 9-1-1, or would her voice give her away? After this, she was going to leave a bad review for Bear Claw Security. If she lived that was. If they’d just sent Limes when they said they would, she wouldn’t be in this position.

Though, she wasn’t sure a nerd, even an ex-Special Forces nerd, could take on that behemoth outside.

A behemoth that was about to be inside.

She jumped behind the door as it creaked open, hiding herself in the corner so when the stranger came in, he wouldn’t be able to see her. The lights in the living room turned on, and everything was quiet, except for his breathing. He was looking around.

Soon, he’d reach to shut the door, and everything would be over.

She took a deep breath, kicked the door out of the way, and ran out at him, swinging the umbrella with a scream.

He looked around in shock just in time for her to catch him right in the eye with the wooden handle.

He howled in pain and put his hand up to his face as she made a break for it, trying to run for her bedroom. He caught her by the hem of her sweatshirt with one hand, stopping her and jerking her off her feet. He let go as she landed on her butt and then stared down at her with eyes that could kill.

Flaming green eyes rimmed with coal lashes, topped by dark, angry thick brows.

“What. The. Hell?” the stranger said in a dark voice, touching his eye and then looking at his hand as if to make sure it wasn’t bleeding. He folded his arms and walked closer. As he did, he saw the umbrella on the ground between them. He picked it up and stared at it, dumbfounded. Then at her. Then at it.

“What the fuck did you do that for?” he asked, his chest heaving indignantly.

An angry bruise was already forming around his eye. Oh gosh, she’d given this thug a black eye. A black eye!

He took a step forward, and her floorboards creaked beneath him. He was going to kill her.

She put her hands over her head and curled up, as if that could protect her. “Don’t hurt me,” she pleaded, knowing it was pointless to try and run. Even after a hit to the eye, his reflexes had been lightning fast.

“What are you talking about?” he said in a flat, annoyed voice.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was just standing there, waiting. She uncurled a bit. “Well, you broke in. If you’re here to rob me, take what you want.” She shook her head. “There’s nothing I can do about it. I won’t fight you.”

A muscle near his eye twitched. “Good to know,” he said. But he didn’t sound happy about it.

“But please don’t hurt me,” she said again in a small voice.

His mouth simply tightened farther. If possible, he looked even more pissed. Right now, she felt he could shoot laser beams out of his eyes if he wanted.

“And why on earth would I hurt you?” he finally asked in a low, impatient voice, crouching in front of her. “I mean, aside from the fact that you likely gave me a black eye, which will heal.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her a business card. Then he hauled her to his feet and left her standing in her front room as he walked over to the door, locked it, and then sat on her couch, suddenly taking up all the space in the living room.

“I’m Limes,” he said, glowering up at her. “You hired me.”

She flipped over the business card with shaking hands and saw Bear Claw Security written beneath his name. Holy hell. She’d attacked her bodyguard.

Wait,
that
was her bodyguard.

His eyes stayed narrowed as his lips spread into a mean smile. His tattooed arms extended over the top of her couch. His long legs crossed in front of him. “Nice to meet you.”

She resisted the urge to faint.