Bear to the Rescue (Bear Claw Security Book 3) (6 page)

She glared up at him. “Maybe for you. This was my whole life. I’ve worked hard for this. You’ve had everything given to you, so you couldn’t possibly know how I feel.” She pushed away from him halfheartedly. “I know that isn’t fair. I’m just bummed.”

He pulled her against him again. “You’re right. I can’t possibly know how you feel. Not unless you tell me.”

“You’re a nice guy, Bronson,” she said. “I’m starting to believe that, at least in some ways. But I told you this already, and I’ll say it again. You’re wasting time trying to get anywhere with me. I don’t want anything like that. I don’t want a mate. Not with a bear.”

That piqued his interested. “So you would, with a human?”

She shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it now.”

He suppressed a growl. He damn well wanted to talk about it now, but looking around her house, he knew he should follow her lead. All of her rights had been violated. She didn’t need anyone else pushing on her.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But can we just drop it and go to work?” she asked.

“Do you want to call the police?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want more people going through my stuff. Asking questions.” She looked at him. “You think we can just wait?”

“Sure,” he said. “Whatever you want. In fact, that would probably be better. Let’s go back to the office and have a talk with the other partners and see what they think.”

“Yeah.” She surveyed the wreckage with a sad face one more time. “After all, I really don’t think we’ll find fingerprints. And I just can’t deal with this right now.” She walked over to a lacy piece of torn clothing and then let it slip through her fingers. “I’ll need new things.”

“I’ll take you shopping,” he said.

She gave him a reluctant half grin. “Not sure it’s the kind of shopping I’d want to do with you there.”

“Not sure you have a choice. I’m not letting you out of my sight when we aren’t at Bear Claw. Not with someone who could do this out on the loose.”

She gave him a sideways look, like she was going to argue with him. Then she shrugged and flashed him a small smile.

She grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Thanks for the help. With everything. I know I’m not the easiest person to deal with.”

He scratched his head and followed her to the front door. “Not the worst either, though.” A slight grin touched the corners of his mouth, and he thought about just how much he enjoyed spending time with her, even before all of this happened.

She stopped at the door, looking out warily, and he put an arm around her, pulling her out into the light with him.

“I promise I’m going to protect you, Regan. I failed to protect your stuff, but I won’t fail to protect you.”

She shrugged as she turned back to lock the door behind them. “It won’t be your fault if you do,” she said. “It wasn’t your business in the first place.”

But she was wrong. A low rumble in his chest assured him.

She was definitely his business. And he was going to make sure she was safe. And whoever did this was going to pay.

He cracked his knuckles and swore that to himself silently.

B
ronson charged
into the front office of Bear Claw Security with Regan following behind him.

Cage looked up from his spot behind the front desk where he’d been talking with his mate, Carrie, and gave Bronson an expression of concern.

“What’s going on?” He checked his watch. “You’re early.” His dark, sapphire eyes moved between Bronson and Regan, and a dim light of suspicion registered there.

“We have a problem,” Bronson said, looking toward the back offices. “Is Hercules in?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Then I assume he told you about what we’re dealing with?” Bronson gestured to Regan. “And what happened in the garage yesterday?”

“Yeah, he said someone was out there. And I’ve been extra careful with Carrie. But he didn’t give details beyond that.”

Carrie stood up, her eyes softening as she looked at Regan. “You want to go talk?”

“Something happened this morning,” Bronson said seriously, rubbing a hand through his tousled blond hair. “Well, it could have been last night. Not exactly sure. But someone broke into Regan’s house and messed up her stuff.”

“Gotcha,” Cage said. “Let’s go talk.”

Bronson nodded, all business, and Regan couldn’t help but like how professional he looked when he was working. Whenever he got even close to this building, she saw a part of him turn on that wasn’t there at any other time. Brisk, efficient, serious, and cool.

This place clearly meant a lot to him. For it, he put away the playful side, the stressed side, or any other emotion and simply got to work on whatever was needed.

Even when she’d resented him for being a too-sexy playboy, she’d appreciated that about him.

She understood having a job that meant everything. What she didn’t understand was walking away from a family who was clearly willing and able to give everything.

But she needed to stop thinking about things like that. She and Bronson were just sex partners. Nothing else, no matter how much he might want that to happen. He just didn’t understand they weren’t really compatible. He was the opposite of what she wanted long term, and she would only make him miserable with her emotional distance and inability to trust.

Yes, they were explosively compatible in bed, but that was all they had.

“I’m going to go talk to Cage,” Bronson said. “Do you want to run the front desk with Carrie?”

“Shouldn’t I come with? Talk to you about possible subjects?”

“You can, but first, I need some time to talk alone. About things that involve the business. We’ll call you in after if we need you.”

Regan looked at the front door, unable to suppress a shiver. “Can that thing lock?”

Cage looked at her. He had dark hair and blue eyes and was extremely striking. But for some reason, he didn’t intimidate her like Bronson did. “It can. I don’t think whoever is bothering you will try to come in. Generally, no one but clients comes up to knock. But I’ll send Hercules out to watch the front desk with you, too, obviously.”

She bit back a pent-up sigh and nodded. Carrie gave her a look that she couldn’t discern. Probably worried about her.

Bronson looked over at her, ocean-blue eyes soft and intense, and she gave him a casual wave and looked away, hoping the blush on her face wasn’t plain as day.

She walked over to sit at the desk next to Carrie and booted up a computer she could play on.

“So a lot is happening all at once, huh?” Carrie asked in a soft voice. She had a soft look overall, with her grey-blue eyes and fluffy brown hair that was pulled into a loose ponytail.

“Yeah,” Regan said, propping her booted feet on the desk in front of her. “I guess so.” Then she took her feet down and sat forward, feeling restless. “What do you know about Bronson?”

“Not much,” Carrie said, pushing hair behind her ear. “I mean, he’s always been nice to me. Accepted me right into the business. And well, he and Limes helped Cage take down some people that were trying to hurt me. But I don’t really know him.” She giggled quietly. “I mean, I have enough trouble on my hands handling Cage. I don’t need to deal with two alphas.”

“That’s a fine-looking man,” Regan said. Then before Carrie could take it the wrong way, she added, “But, yeah, you two are adorable. I’m just not like that, you know? And Bronson is.”

“Like what?” Carrie asked, pushing back from the desk and looking indignant. She wore a white button-up that tucked into a brown tweed skirt and had several silver bracelets on her pale-white skin.

Regan didn’t know how she could be much more different from the woman across from her if she tried. “Committed,” she said reluctantly. “I just don’t think it’s in me.”

“You don’t think it’s in you, or you don’t think men can commit?”

Regan blinked, shocked by how close the other woman had come to figuring her out. “I don’t know. Why do you say that?”

Carrie tapped her fingers on the desk. “I had troubles with that, too, with Cage. I mean, we knew each other as children, but we both had a rough upbringing, and he left town to take care of some things, and I didn’t know if he’d come back. And when he did, I wasn’t sure I wanted to give up a life that I’d made in order to take a chance on him when he could leave again.”

“I just don’t think bears can commit,” Regan said with a shrug. “I mean, look at them in the wild.”

Carrie shook her head. “I don’t know. I know Cage waited years for only me. It’s like he can’t even see other women.” She glanced back in the direction of the office where Cage and Bronson were talking. “I mean, maybe you’re giving too much credence to the bear side of them and not the man side.”

“Is this girls’ talk only, or can I join in?” a deep voice intoned.

Regan looked up to see Hercules standing in front of the desk, resting one elbow on it. “Where did you sneak up from?” she asked, stifling a grin at the sight of the huge, stoic shifter with the naturally tanned skin and long hair.

He shrugged. “Mercenary and loud don’t exactly go together.”

Carrie laughed at that, and Regan just shrugged. “No, it’s not just girl talk. You can join if you want.”

“You’re always welcome, Herc,” Carrie said, patting a chair next to her. “He’s almost like a girl anyway.”

Hercules wrinkled his nose at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Carrie waved a hand at his supposed offense. “You’re… sensitive. I guess. Anyway, he has the best advice.”

Hercules harrumphed. “Maybe I’ll have to be more careful about giving it if it’s going to determine my gender.” He slumped in the chair in mock anger, but there was a grin glittering in his eyes.

“Hey, you know the only man she sees is that blue-eyed piece back there talking to Bronson,” Regan said, leaning back in her own chair with a relaxed sigh. It was nice to just be here talking with people she was coming to consider friends. She’d been alone for so long that it was foreign but very welcome. “Besides, with the current discussion about men, you might be glad to not be counted as one.”

Herc wrinkled his nose again. “Somehow I doubt it. Anyway, what are you saying about my brethren, and how can I defend them from these spurious accusations?”

Carrie laughed, holding her stomach. “Regan was just saying she doesn’t think she’s the type to commit, and Bronson is.”

Herc raised a light-brown eyebrow. “Huh? And that’s a problem?”

“No, no,” Regan said. “You’re getting it wrong. I don’t think
I
can trust Bronson to commit, so I don’t want a relationship. But I think he does.”

Herc lowered his eyebrows. “I knew there was something going on between you two. Why he was following you around after work.”

“Well, that was because he was worried about me,” she said, trying to ignore the heat that rose in her cheeks at the thought of Bronson protecting her.

“He is the worrying type,” Herc said. “And yeah, I get the feeling he’s the type that falls hard for the right woman and doesn’t let go.”

“Until he gets what he wants or gets sick of her, right?” Regan asked.

Herc shook his head, and Carrie looked shocked. “No, I don’t think that about him. He’s the type who stays through trouble to work things out.”

“Then why did he leave his family?” she asked, looking around the place.

“I don’t really know Bronson’s story,” Hercules said. “If he wanted to share it with me, he would.”

Regan swallowed. She knew she shouldn’t have said anything, but couldn’t explain her doubts any other way. No, she’d had doubts before; that’s what had made her look him up.

“I don’t know for sure why he left his old life,” Carrie said, resting her cheeks in her hands. “I can only judge what I know of him now, and I know he’s an honorable person who has been an honorable friend to Cage. And he’s helped countless people with Bear Claw Security. My guess is if he ran away from those people, he had a damn good reason.”

Hercules nodded. “He was one of the squad leaders I worked with, always on top of things. Never would leave someone behind. Never would stay out of danger if someone could be helped. Then he set up this place and gave some of us jobs when we were ready to give up that life of danger. As far as I’m concerned, he’s one of the most responsible men I’ve known.”

Regan sighed. “Then why does he act like such a playboy?”

Carrie snorted. “You mean the flirting? I think it’s just an act, to make women comfortable.”

Regan raised an eyebrow. “It makes women comfortable?”

“Yeah,” Carrie said. “Because it’s over the top, you know? It’s mostly funny, and people get that. He always keeps a polite distance so it’s never threatening. And with his looks, most women really like it.”

Ha
. Bronson had never kept a distance with her. Since she’d first worked there, he’d been all about getting up in her face. But maybe that was because she liked to tease him and get under his skin.

Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t really remember which had happened first.

“Hm,” she said.

“But things are going fine with you two staying together, right?” Herc asked.

Carrie’s eyes went wide and looked a more vivid blue. “What? Okay, maybe you do need to leave, Herc, because we need to talk about this.”

Hercules raised his fingers to either side of his ears. “I can plug up if you want.”

Regan laughed. These two really knew how to make her comfortable. “No, it’s okay. Not much to tell.”

Carrie glared at her, and Regan got the feeling she was seeing right through her story. “As soon as you’re ready, we
are
going to talk about this.”

“You’re a female bear,” Hercules said. “He’s a male. You’re sharing quarters. There isn’t much to tell that I can’t already guess.”

Carrie looked between them as Regan didn’t deny it and a red flush spread over her cheeks. “What? Seriously?”

Regan shrugged. “It’s just bears. The same reason I wouldn’t be able to settle down with one. We’re promiscuous.”

“I haven’t seen Bronson messing around with women,” Herc said. “Not now or in the service. I think you’ve got him wrong. Maybe he doesn’t like women. Maybe he likes
a
woman.”

“I haven’t seen Bronson mess around either,” Carrie said quietly. “And I know he wouldn’t take advantage of a woman like that. I mean, he’s just supposed to be protecting you, right?”

Regan grinned ruefully. “I guess I was the one taking advantage. But I did it knowing I didn’t want more than a night. Or a fling. You know.” She threw up her hands. “My work is my life. And he seems to feel the same.”

But it was partially a lie. She knew Bronson wanted more, that he loved his job, but when it came to her, at least so far, she would come first.

It was odd how much she already knew about him after just a few weeks together at work and one night at his house.

“He has a really nice place,” she said.

“I know. I’ve been there,” Carrie said. She gave Regan a knowing look. “And that’s no bachelor pad.”

“What gave you this idea that bear shifters can’t settle down?” Hercules asked.

“Maybe it’s just ones like Bronson,” Regan said. “Rich playboys that can afford to run from their problems.”

Herc looked uncertainly at Carrie and then Regan. “I don’t know. I’m not sure you’re looking at this fairly. But all I can say is if I didn’t trust Bronson with my life, I wouldn’t work for him. And I’d never trust a man who ran from his problems.” He gave her a sidelong look. “Then again, if you can’t trust him, I’m not going to try to talk you into him. He deserves someone who wants him as much as he wants her. I’m not sure that’s the case here.”

Carrie looked at her quietly, and she badly wanted to correct Herc. To say she did want Bronson as much, maybe even more. To say that’s what had been bothering her the whole time, from the first moment she walked in.

She did want him, and she didn’t like it because he didn’t have any of the qualities she was looking for in someone who could get her to overlook her reluctance to mate.

She wanted someone quiet, responsible. Hopefully human. Someone who wouldn’t run. Someone in it for the long haul. Hopefully good-looking but not amazingly handsome. Well off but not incredibly rich. A good, safe catch.

And if that never happened, all the more reason to stay alone with her work.

So why did Bronson’s face keep popping up obnoxiously in her mind?

She pulled a USB out of her purse and slid it into one of the slots on the computer she’d booted up. “Anyway, I’d better get back to working on the Salazar case. Still fixing holes in security, and I think someone is still trying to crack them. Not that I blame them with how much that company is worth.”

Carrie nodded. “And I should call back some potential clients.”

“And I should just sit here and guard you both,” Herc said, stretching back and resting his long legs out in front of him.

Carrie giggled. “That you should.”

“Fine by me,” Regan said, opening up her files.

Her mind slowly relaxed as she eased into her work. Ah, the world of code and programming. A place where she was in control and knew exactly what to do all the time. At least she could have a little more of this before she had to go spend more time with Bronson.