Detective Bear (Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (Bear Patrol Book 2) (10 page)

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Authors: Scarlett Grove

BOOK: Detective Bear (Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (Bear Patrol Book 2)

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L
ola was
a bit disappointed that Gauge had to leave the picnic without her, but she knew that police business was a priority over a party. Ever since he had gotten her off the mountain, he’d been spending a lot less time working, according to him.

Lola appreciated how much time and focus he had given to her, but at the same time, she was beginning to feel like she needed to have something of her own. Having Corey Bright invite her into the Bright Institute for Shifters was a serious boon for her. She couldn’t even imagine what Justin would have said about her going to a school originally intended for shifters.

Corey and the rest of the bears of Fate Mountain had shown her, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that shifters were not anti-human. In fact, the shifters of Fate Mountain seemed to be as concerned about human happiness and prosperity as the human community. And why wouldn’t they be? Shifters had a long history of finding their mates among humans.

Of all of the shifters that Lola had met, one of the core similarities between them all was that they each believed in a world where shifters and humans lived peacefully together. She had no real desire to be changed into a shifter herself, but she did want to live in a world where shifters and humans got along.

It was exactly the world that Justin had been fighting against. Lola walked into her living room of her suite at the Lodge and looked out the window at the full moon glowing over Lake Fate. She couldn’t wait to share this view with Gauge. It was so beautiful.

That was one of the things she loved the most about Gauge. On one hand, he was his own man, totally an alpha male through and through. But at the same time, he was immensely gentle and patient. He loved her femininity and wanted nothing more than to be a foundation for her to stand upon and to flourish. He was a better man than she ever could have expected to bond with. And now that they were together, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

Just the thought of how far she’d come since the time she’d spent on the mountain gave her a sense of pride that she never wanted to lose. Gauge had saved her life in more ways than one, and she knew that she could never repay him with anything greater than her absolute adoration and pure, unadulterated love. She flipped through the TV channels and landed on one of her favorite soap opera reality TV shows and curled up on the couch under a soft throw blanket.

A little while later, Gauge opened the front door and saw her curled on the couch. He smiled and sat beside her, taking her feet and legs up onto his lap.

“What did Damien need to tell you?” she asked.

“The random probability generator came up with some data that he wants us to look out for. Something about human trafficking,” Gauge said.

“Human trafficking? That’s terrible.”

Lola knew a thing or two about being kidnapped and held against her will. The idea that there was something on a larger scale happening to more people on Fate Mountain was horrifying. It had to be stopped immediately.

“It’s nothing for you to worry about now, babe. You’ve been through enough of your own trauma.”

“I just don’t want others to suffer as I have,” she said, feeling the warmth of his body under her bare legs.

“That’s one of the things I love so much about you. You have so much compassion and goodness in your heart.”

“I was going to say the same thing about you,” she giggled as he started rubbing her feet.

“Have you thought about what you’d like to study at the Bright Institute?”

“Maybe I’d like to study sociology or something where I can help people.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Gauge said.

His hands ran up her legs, sensuously caressing her sensitive flesh. She took a deep breath and let it out, looking up into his handsome face.

“That feels so good,” she whispered.

“I have a few other ideas of what might feel even better,” he said with a grin.

“Oh?” she teased. “Why don’t you share these ideas with me?”

“That’s exactly what I intend to do, mate,” he said, lifting her up onto his lap. “But first, I have a gift for you.”

He pulled a little box out of his pocket and handed it to her. She lifted open the lid and found the surprise inside. It was her mother’s cameo, fashioned in a new setting of pure yellow gold. It looked absolutely perfect.

“Gauge,” she gasped, lifting the cameo out of the box. It was attached to a long gold chain that she slid over her head. “I can’t believe you did this.”

Fixing her mother’s cameo was more precious to her than all of the gold and diamonds in the world. Gauge showed her that he really understood who she was and what mattered to her most. She couldn’t help the flood of emotions that welled up inside her. Hot tears slid down her cheek as she grasped the cameo in her hand.

“I knew you’d like it,” he said. “Look under the velvet.”

“There’s more?”

“Yep.”

She lifted the velvet flap inside the small box and found another layer underneath. She gasped at the sight of the diamond ring staring at her. Blood rushed to her head, leaving her fingers numb. She could barely talk.

“Gauge,” she gasped. “What did you do?”

“Lola Jackson, will you marry me?” he asked, slipping the ring on her finger. It was a perfectly princess cut diamond in a yellow gold setting.

“Yes,” she breathed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rained kisses down on his cheeks, lips, and face.

”You are the best man ever,” she said with delight in her voice. “You know that right?”

“All I want is to be the best man for you.”

With that, he picked her up off the couch and carried her in his big strong arms to the bed. They made love to each other at a leisurely pace, knowing that they had forever to spend in each other’s arms.

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