Big Bad Bear (4 page)

She wasn’t imagining it. There was something between them, and it wasn’t just on her end. Carly gulped slightly and couldn’t help but enjoy the way his muscles bulged in his arms and shoulders with his arms crossed like that. The way it accentuated his pecs as well.

“There’s a lot more to you than you’re giving yourself credit for. And as for being average…” He paused as his eyes roved up and down her body. “I’ve never met a more beautiful woman in my entire life. Ever,” he said, his voice low and husky. Just the sound rattled her to her core and made her wet. Made her want more with him. Right here, right now.

She’d give anything for just one kiss.

Zeus didn’t move for a long moment that could have lasted forever. She wanted to devour him with her eyes, and if she wasn’t entirely wrong about him, he wanted to do the same.

“Carly, I…” Zeus began, sounding hesitant as he stepped forward, closer to her.

“Yes?” she said breathlessly. His lips, so gorgeous. Just one kiss.

He stopped right in front of her, just a breath away. If he just leaned down a little and she got up on her toes—

Then he took a deep breath and pulled away. “I hope you sleep well. Let me know if you need anything,” he said, breaking eye contact and walking past her across the hall. “Good night,” he said, sending her one last glance before going into his room and closing the door behind him.

Carly felt like someone had waved a brownie under her nose and then walked away with it. She opened the door to her room, went in, and closed it behind her before plopping onto the bed with a frustrated sigh.

T
he next day
, Carly just wanted to stay in bed. She was still embarrassed from that awkward moment last night with Zeus outside her bedroom door.

She could hear him moving about the cabin, hear the sizzle of something in the kitchen, smell delicious breakfast smells. Any moment, he would show up and she’d have to act like nothing was bothering her.

As if summoned, a loud knock sounded at the door, startling her. She pulled the covers over her head, ducked under the blankets, and then decided not to be a coward.

“What is it?” she called out.

“Breakfast,” he said in a deep, husky voice, which she loved the sound of.

She sighed and pushed off the blankets, sitting up in bed and facing the door. “You can come in.”

She made sure her long-sleeved pajamas were in place, ran her fingers through her loose hair, and hoped she looked okay to see him.

When the door opened, Zeus stepped in carrying a tray full of carefully laid out food. Her eyes widened as he walked over to the bed and set it down in front of her.

“Where’s yours?” she asked.

“I already ate,” he said.

She patted the bed, letting him know he could sit next to her, and after a moment’s hesitation, he did so, looking wary. “I’m not going to bite,” she said.

He gave her a dry grin and relaxed slightly. “Good to know.” He looked too damn good in the morning. His dark hair was immaculately waved off his handsome face, which was freshly shaven. He wore a clean shirt in blue flannel that set off his gorgeous eyes, and his smooth, strong jaw made her want to run a hand along it.

But thinking of Zeus that way would just lead to more uncomfortable situations like last night. She fought back a scowl and reached for another pastry, biting into it just a little too intensely.

“Is something wrong?” Zeus asked, looking confused.

“It’s just… Never mind.” She picked up some bacon, ate it, and washed it down with orange juice that tasted freshly squeezed.

He frowned, and she had the feeling that much stronger men had been intimidated by that intense gaze. She finished the eggs he’d made, hating to waste food, and then sat back against the headboard of the bed.

It was beautiful outside now that the sun had risen. She could see the light filtering through the endless green that surrounded the cabin. Despite living in a small mountain town, she’d never taken the time to go up and explore the wilderness around her, preferring to keep her head down and work. Now she thought maybe it had been a mistake.

“You like it?” he asked, tilting his head to study her, making that one lock of hair fall over his forehead.

“Like it?” she asked. “I love it. How much does one of these cabins run anyway? Maybe after I pay my debts, I can get something like this of my own.”

A smile tilted one corner of his lips. “Maybe.”

“So what did you do before you came here that made you such a badass?” she asked. “Oh, wait, you’re not supposed to talk about it.”

“No, sorry,” he said, seeming genuinely apologetic that he couldn’t share it with her.

“It’s okay,” she said, shrugging. “The past is the past. It makes us who we are, but I don’t have to know it to get to know you.”

He nodded and then laughed, a husky sound that made heat pool inside her. “I suppose. So what about your past, then? Before the boyfriend dragged you out here, I mean.”

“Grew up not far from here. Another small town, more suburban. Not much to do, so I took jobs in local restaurants and such. Went to beauty school for a while, so if you ever want a haircut…”

He grinned and nodded. “Good to know.”

It was amazing how comfortable he could make her feel just by asking questions and listening. “Anyway, I dropped out of beauty school because it was too expensive, and that’s when I met Ben.”

“Ben?”

“The ex who brought me out here.”

“Oh,” he said. She swore she could hear a slight growl in his voice.

“Anyway, that’s me in a nutshell. I’m more interested in hearing about you. How did you end up in Bearstone Village?”

He shrugged his huge shoulders. “Ares was from here. Said it was quiet. Good for people… like us.”

“Like military?”

Something in his eyes was hesitant, and she got the feeling there was definitely a secret he was keeping from her. “Sure,” he said. “Like military.”

“Anyway, so you work with businesses here?”

“I fund them, yes. With the Devils in town, people need a fair loan sometimes.”

“That’s good of you. Most people would just run, seeing such a bad situation here.”

“Not everyone can run,” he said. “Some people have to stay. Besides, I like it here. The mountains bring me peace.”

She nodded. She guessed peace was hard to find for a man like him, and it was beautiful up here.

“So anyway, that’s me,” he said. “What would you like to do today?”

She looked at him in surprise. “What do you mean? Don’t we have to stay around here?”

“Well, yes. But there’s plenty to do here. Hike, fish, go to the lake and sit.”

“Is that safe?” she said.

“As long as you stay with me, it is,” he said. “I’m protecting you, but I’m not going to keep you under lock and key.”

“Good,” she muttered, more to herself than to him. “Because I’m not sure I can stay in this house with you much longer.”

That had him sitting up, looking worried. And she had a feeling there wasn’t much that worried this big man. “What do you mean? Am I doing something to bother you? Would you like me to leave?” He seemed genuinely concerned.

“No,” she said, putting out a placating hand and then running it through her hair in exasperation. “No, it’s just… nothing. You know what? Maybe a hike would be good,” she said. “Some fresh air. I’ve never been up in these mountains.”

And maybe the cold mountain air could cool her ardor for Zeus, make it easier to be around him.

He stood abruptly and strode from the room. When he came back, he was holding a box in his hands.

“What’s that?” she asked, taking it from him.

“Hiking boots,” he said. “To protect your feet.”

“How do you have these?” she asked, looking inside. “They’re just my size.”

“I… um, I had Ares get some. I knew you might need something to walk around in up here.”

“That was thoughtful of you,” she said, touched once again by his unexpected kindness. His jaw tightened and he turned away, seemingly embarrassed.

“Anyway, I’ll get a backpack ready and wait for you outside. Come out when you’re changed.” He was back to being brisk and effective, and he exited the door before she could say anything else.

She decided to quickly change. The sooner they left, the better.

Z
eus eyed
his mate as she scampered over a large boulder in their path and stood on top of it, looking around them. A part of him wanted to pull her down and enclose her in his arms where he knew she was safe. Another part of him knew they were alone in the mountains. His bear would sense anyone intruding on their space.

He was at home here, knew each part of the land like the back of his hand. He’d walked here many times, dealing with memories from the war or letting his bear run free or just trying to think of ways to approach and win over his mate.

It was surreal that she was here with him, but he still didn’t know what to do with her. He just knew he needed to stay in control. Not come on too strong or too quickly and scare her away.

He’d almost messed it up last night when he’d been about to kiss her. But he’d known it was the wrong thing, that he should take it slowly and give her time. What kind of man would he be if he made things awkward for someone he was supposed to be protecting? She wasn’t staying there because she liked him, but because she had nowhere else to go.

And she seemed a bit standoffish this morning, though he wasn’t sure exactly what was wrong.

At least she was willing to let bygones be bygones as they explored the woods.

He was impressed by her simple wonder at the world around her. She seemed at home in the woods, entranced by them. They’d made their way up a long path above the cabin and were almost to the sparkling lake he wanted to show her.

His thinking place. And a great place to catch fish.

He supposed if the men he’d worked with saw him here, now, wondering how to woo a woman while scampering through the mountains, they’d never be able to believe it. He almost couldn’t either.

He heard Carly gasp as she turned up ahead and the lake came into view, sparkling blue in the sunlight, surrounded on all sides by swaying trees.

“It’s so gorgeous up here,” she said. “How do you keep it all to yourself?”

He didn’t want to keep it all to himself. He wanted to share it with her. A vision came to him, him and Carly waking up together every morning, walking in the mountains, sitting by a campfire at night, and then going home to his cabin, curling up together…

He was instantly, achingly hard at the thought of it but pushed the thoughts away. All he had any right to focus on right now was making sure Carly was protected and happy. And crushing anyone who tried to threaten that.

She made her way to an overturned log and sat on it, watching the lake. Little ripples pushed by the wind shimmered silver in the light, and Zeus sighed as he stood behind his mate.

“I don’t know how you don’t just stay out here every day,” she said contentedly.

“I do have to work sometimes, you know,” he said.

“I know,” she said. “Don’t we all.” She kicked at the soft soil in front of her and began to hum a little song.

She was beyond adorable, and the urge to take her in his arms became unbearable again, like it had been last night. She caught him watching her and gestured for him to join her on the log. He did so, careful not to sit too close.

As much as he sensed she wanted him, he didn’t want to scare her off. He knew bears tended to be attractive to humans, and he wanted more than a simple fling with her. He wanted forever, and he was willing to wait for it.

“So you have any bears up here?” she asked, eyes twinkling.

“What?” he asked, heart thudding at the mention of bears. Was she saying…?

“Don’t look so nervous. I just meant I know there are some up around Bearstone Park, but I hadn’t heard of any being around here. Still, if there were, I think they would love this lake.”

“There’s only one around here,” Zeus said carefully. “And he does seem to love this lake.”

She sat up with wide eyes, suddenly looking around the clearing nervously. “Seriously? You’ve seen a bear around here and you still decided to bring me?”

Damn. That did sound stupid. And he couldn’t really say,
The bear is me.
And any other bear that comes around you will get his throat torn out.
Not yet. Not unless he wanted her to think he was crazy and run. He couldn’t risk that while her life was threatened.

“I’d never let you be in danger,” he said.

“You’d fight a bear for me?” she asked.

He nodded. He’d fight all the bears for her.

“Wow. You barely know me. I mean, I know we met a few times at the bar, but you never seemed to notice me.”

She couldn’t have been more wrong. Each time, he’d been waiting for the right moment to approach her, never knowing when that was. “I noticed you.”

“Right,” she said. “The fat waitress.”

“The
hot
waitress.” He grinned.

She growled in frustration and turned to him with irritation flashing in those pretty, light-brown eyes. “There you go again. Why do you keep saying things like that to me when you have no intentions on doing anything with me?”

He blinked, stunned. “I can’t say you’re attractive?”

“I don’t want you to pity me or feel like you have to fluff my ego.”

“I’m not,” he said seriously, moving a little closer on the log. He couldn’t resist reaching up and brushing her hair behind her ear so he could see her better. “I mean what I say.”

“Sure,” she said, scooting a little bit away. “Fine. Just forget it.” She ran her fingers through her hair as if trying to remove his touch, and the bear in him growled, wanting to put his mark all over his mate.

“I feel like you’re mad again,” he said. “I don’t really get why.”

She took a deep breath and then let it out in a small huff and glared at him. “Look, Zeus. I appreciate how nice you’re being to me. And I know I told you I was insecure and you think you have to give me compliments even though you’re not… you know…
interested
.”

He stared at her in confusion. How could she think he wasn’t interested? Clearly, he’d made a tactical error. One he meant to rectify.

“Like last night,” she said. “If you say stuff like that, I’m going to misunderstand and then get disappointed when I… get ideas.”

“Ideas about what?” he asked, moving closer still.

She moved back slightly, eyeing him warily. But he could feel the awareness of her body, her warmth, her scent. She wasn’t afraid of him. She was aroused by him. “You know,” she said, gesturing between them as she reached the edge of the log. “Ideas about us.”

He moved forward, caging her in since she had nowhere to go. “What kind of ideas about us?”

She put her hands on his chest to keep him back. A bird sang overhead and wind rustled the trees above them. The fresh mountain air mingled with her scent in a heady mix that had him ready to take her back to the cabin, patience be damned.

“You know, you’re an attractive man, and you’re doing so much for me and saying nice things to me, and I start thinking…”

“Thinking what?” he pressed, leaning in closer so they were face to face, their lips nearly touching.

She leaned back slightly and lost her balance, nearly falling off the log, except his arm came around her back and held her up, pressed against him. He could feel her breath, see every flutter of her lashes. She was his.
His.

“Thinking what?” he asked again.

She let out a shaky breath. “Thinking you want me.”

He let out a low growl as his lips closed over hers, giving them both what they craved. The bear in him roared in approval. The man in him said he was going too fast. But if waiting was causing his mate to doubt him, then he wasn’t going to wait anymore.