Bears & Beauties - Complete (3 page)

I stepped into the restroom and donned the clothes that my parents had grabbed from my apartment on the way to the hospital, taking small comfort in the feel of my jeans as I pulled them over my hips. They had taken the time to pack me a black camisole and blue-and-black checkered button-down shirt as well, so I climbed into them. The one thing my parents hadn’t thought to grab, however, was a pair of tennis shoes, so I slipped into my well-worn hiking boots once again. I had a new appreciation for the boots, honestly, after having experienced near-death alongside them. If anything, I’d be storing them up in my closet somewhere once they’d finally be worn to extinction, rather than just tossing them out. It’s important to keep mementos of near-death experiences, even if they do smell like dirt and sweat.

Fully dressed, I stepped out of the bathroom and fished my cell phone from the bag my parents had brought my clothes in. I quickly typed in the number on the business card, and hovered my finger over the SEND key.

“What are you doing?” my father snapped quickly, startling me in the process.

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Calling Chase? I told him I would when I got out of here, and I’ve just been discharged. So…”

“Absolutely not!” my mother jumped up, her voice resolute.

That got my attention. I looked away from my phone and toward my mother, somewhat awestruck by her brazen denial. “Excuse me?” I said, deadpan.

“You absolutely
cannot
call him. He’s a
billionaire,
Andrea. And those Hammers are not the sort you want to get wrapped up with. They’re…different.”

“What does his financial status have to do with anything?” I asked, realizing that I was raising my voice. “And ‘different’?
Seriously
?”

My mother shook her head. “I forbid it, Andrea.”

I laughed at that. “I’m a grown woman, mom. ‘Forbid’ isn’t really a word you can throw around any more. And besides, what do you care? He’s obviously a nice guy, and, hey, he might even be
interested
in me. Or is that too hard for you to believe?”

“Andrea,” my father broke in, his voice taking the same hard tone that I’d grown used to over the years. All the memories of my heavy-handed and overprotected rearing were wound up in his voice. “Your mother is right. Chase Hammer isn’t the sort to be trifled with. And it has
nothing
to do with you. There’s a reason he moved away. He doesn’t
belong
here.”

I shook my head in utter disbelief. My parents had always been overbearing, but this was taking things to a new level. I was a grown-ass woman, and if I wanted to have dinner with the man who saved my life, there was
nothing
they could do about it. Shooting my mother the harshest glare I could muster, I snatched my bag and stormed out of the room and into the hallway.

As I exited the hospital, I clicked SEND and raised my phone to my ear. The phone rang twice before a firm voice came on the line.

“Chase Hammer,” the voice said.

“What, too much of a hotshot for ‘hello’?” I teased, a smile crawling at my face.

I heard breathing over the line for a moment, and worried that I’d just cost myself a shot at the guy, before he finally responded.

“Just wanted to make sure you knew who you’d called,” Chase said, and I could hear the grin in his voice. “You hit that rock pretty hard, after all. And I hear memory is a fickle thing.”

“As if,” I snorted. “So, I’m out of the hospital and owe you a dinner. You still up for it?”

“Absolutely,” Chase replied. “Just name the time and place. I warn you, though, I’m a big eater.”

I thought back to Chase’s body, how it had felt hard and muscular beneath the white tee-shirt he’d been wearing earlier. The thought of those muscles sent a shiver down my spine, and I imagined myself being held in his arms again. “As fit as you are, I doubt that,” I stated absently, then blushed once I realized what I’d said.

Chase only laughed and asked again for the time and place. I gave him an address, told him to meet me there at seven o’clock sharp, then got off the phone with him before I dug myself any deeper of a hole.

Checking the clock on my phone, I noted that I still had a good two hours to kill before dinner, so I started walking toward my apartment.

If I was going to be having dinner with a billionaire, I was going to make sure I looked damned good. Two hours was just enough time to prepare.

Chase

The subtle chatter of the restaurant’s patrons was almost numbing. The constant barrage of voices, mixed with the various scents in the room, was enough to set my bear on edge. I typically wasn’t a fan of crowds or noisy restaurants, but, in hindsight, it wasn’t as if the town had much more to offer. Still, the restaurant - or, the
Hanging Rock
, as it was named - wasn’t without its charm.

The lighting was somewhat dimmed, allowing for sense of privacy and intrigue, while still retaining enough light to see. In part, the lighting was due to the natural mechanics through which the room was lit. Namely, the massive window that stretched from one side of the restaurant to the other, offering up a magnificent view of the Blue Ridge Parkway for what seemed like miles. My table was positioned adjacent to the window and in one corner of the restaurant, allowing me to see straight out and down at a several hundred foot drop. The restaurant, it seemed, had been built
over
the ravine in some places, leaving it literally hanging above the massive chasm. Maybe that, then, and not the crowd is what had my bear grimacing. Predators, after all, don’t like to feel cornered.

I checked my watch for the dozenth time, noting the time as it inched closer to seven o’clock. I’d arrived fifteen minutes early and, to my surprise, found that a reservation had already been placed under my name. Andrea hadn’t arrived yet, though, in her defense, she did say seven
sharp
. I just have a habit of showing up everywhere early.

I was in the middle of sipping at my wine when I saw her coming. Or, more accurately, I
smelled
her coming. My bear picked up on Andrea’s presence several seconds before I did, and I immediately jumped to my feet as she came into view. My bear let out a low, guttural growl as I saw her, and I couldn’t help but let my jaw drop slightly.

Andrea looked a far cry from the battered and dirt-covered woman I’d rescued from the ravine, and it was all I could do to keep from staring. She was wearing a strapless black dress that clung to and accentuated her deliciously shaped curves, rippling over her large, voluptuous breasts, and hugging her down to her mid-thighs. Her gorgeously tanned legs looked stronger than I remembered, and they were only enhanced by the six-inch heels strapped to her feet. Her hair was done up in a style that seemed intentionally messy, as though she’d just climbed out of bed looking unbearably gorgeous. The scent of her perfume wafted toward me, and I felt my cock harden as the intensity of my bear’s lust threatened to over take me.

Calm down, Chase,
I told myself.
It’s just dinner.

“So,” Andrea started, breaking the awkward silence. “Are you just going to stare or are we going to have dinner? I had a near-death experience today, and, honestly, I’m quite famished.”

I felt a slight wave of embarrassment pass through me, but I quickly dismissed it, instead moving around to the opposite side of the table and pulling the chair out. I then gestured for Andrea to have a seat and gawked helplessly as she approached. “After you,’ I managed, offering her a smile.

Andrea returned my smile, a slight sparkle igniting behind her eyes, and stepped toward the chair, turning and taking a seat. I gripped the chair and slid her up to the table, doing my best to not stare down the top of her dress and into the valley between her luscious breasts. It was all I could do to walk away and return to my seat, a slight bulge beginning to tighten against my pants. Thankfully, the dim lighting hid my forming erection.

“You look incredible,” I said as I sat down, my eyes still tracing every curve and detail of Andrea’s body. There was no doubt that my bear wanted her, wanted to take her and claim her right there and then. More importantly, I found that
I
wanted her just as badly as the bear. Fortunately, though, I’m a bit more civilized.

Andrea glanced at the table, raising a menu to hide the early onset of a blush. She obviously hadn’t expected me to be so forward, but I didn’t dare back down now.

“Honestly,” I said. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you, Chase,” she murmured from behind the menu. “You look quite handsome yourself.”

I scoffed at that and waved a hand dismissively. If anything, I looked like a mess. I’d returned to the cabin after leaving the hospital, but had spent the majority of the time dodging phone calls from Sarah and cleaning out boxes of old junk that my parents had left behind. I’d managed to throw on a clean pair of clothes - some dark jeans and a black button-down shirt that I’d rolled the sleeves up to my forearms on - but my hair was a complete mess, and I knew that I smelled of dirt and sweat. To be honest, I hadn’t expected Andrea to show up dressed like
that.

The waitress showed up then and took our order. The restaurant had a an old, southern style menu, and I was more than willing to try something new. Andrea recommended the battered barbecue brisket, and I took her up on the suggestion.

“So,” I said after the waitress had left, “How does it feel to be alive?”

Andrea snorted, catching me off guard, and reigniting the flushed appearance in her face. This time, she didn’t have a menu to hide behind, and I couldn’t help but smile at the change in her complexion. Even embarrassed, she looked absolutely ravishing, and it seemed like every twitch and move she made had my bear ready to spring into action.

“Gracious,” Andrea said finally. “I still can’t find the words to thank you enough. I don’t know how or why, but I am completely in your debt.”

“Well,” I said with a wink, “I think the extent of your debt depends on the quality of the brisket.”

“Oh. In that case, you’ll be owing
me
by the end of the meal.” Andrea shot back with a smile.

I honest to God liked this woman. Not only was she unbelievably sexy, but she was quick-witted and smart. Not only that, but if her previous endeavors in the mountains were any indication, she had a bit of a wild and adventurous side to her. That, in and of itself, had my bear absolutely groveling for her affection.

“So,” Andrea said, mocking my tone from earlier. “What’s a guy like you doing in a dump like this?”

Ah. There it was. I’d wondered how long it would take before she brought that up.

“Family stuff,” I said. “My parents had a cabin out on the Parkway. Due to work, I’d never been able to find the time to get down here and clear the place out.”

Andrea arched an eyebrow at me, and the look in her eye told me that she wasn’t buying the half-truth.

I growled inwardly at myself then. This woman was, as best as I could tell, absolutely perfect. It wouldn’t serve her justice to lie to her face. And besides, what harm could the truth do?

“Well, there’s that,” I continued. “And the fact that my company is falling apart and I needed some time to decompress and clear my head.”

“Oh,” Andrea started. She hadn’t expected
that
. “I didn’t know. Is everything going to be okay?”

I shook my head and shrugged. “Not unless I can figure out a way to stop Hammer Industries from digesting itself. Too many moving parts, not enough brains to run them.” I thought back to the encounter with Collin at the board meeting, and felt my bear beginning to seethe beneath the surface.

“My parents seem to think you’re Frankenstein’s monster,” Andrea said, changing the subject.

I cocked my head to one side and stared at her for a moment to see if she was joking. She wasn’t.

“Depends on who you ask.”

The waitress arrived then, stilling the conversation for a moment as she sat our plates down on the table. The aroma from the brisket had my mouth watering almost instantly, and I quickly dug into my meal. We ate in silence, each of us savoring the deliciousness of the meal. I had almost finished my plate when my phone chirped obnoxiously in my pocket.

“Excuse me,” I said, rising from the table and pulling the phone from my pocket. Sarah’s name lit up on the screen along with a notification of thirteen other missed calls from her. Sarah was intelligent and a great secretary. She knew, more than anyone, that when I needed alone time,
I needed alone time
. The fact that she’d been calling me so persistently meant something was wrong, and alarm bells started screaming in my head. “I have to take this,” I told Andrea apologetically, and she gestured for me to go.

I made my way to the exit and stepped outside the restaurant before answering the phone. “Sarah?”

“Mr. Hammer!” Sarah barked, urgency in her voice. “Thank God, I’ve been trying to reach you all day.”