Bearllionaire(25)
“Bear,” she muttered. “I saw a bear. I swear it.”
He bit his lip. “What kind of bear?”
“It was black,” she said.
He sighed with relief. He could take on any black bear that got ideas. He could take on any grizzly as well, but it’d be more complicated. Luckily, he expected he and his brothers were the only ones in the area with grizzly blood. But bear shifters could mate interspecies, and with him awakening the more animal side of her, he should have expected that bears would already be circling. He would probably have to shift into bear form to patrol at nights. He’d prefer sleeping here in her room to watch her, but she didn’t seem to trust him that far yet. And also, if he had to shift, she’d see him. And he didn’t know how to explain that yet.
He sat on the bed and put an arm out, and she cuddled under it. Damn, he loved the feel of her feminine, warm body under his. Every bear he knew loved ladies with curves. Not that other ladies weren’t fine, but there was something about a lady with extra that made him feel more secure. It probably had something to do with bears in the wild and reproductive rates. He thought he recalled his father saying something to that effect, that female bears without the right amount of extra weight couldn’t get pregnant.
But right now, he didn’t care about getting Janna pregnant. He could cross that bridge when he came to it. Right now, he cared about making her feel safe again.
He needed her to feel safe as much as he needed to breathe.
“Shh… it’s okay. Tell me what happened, from the beginning.”
She sniffed and took a deep breath, and he felt her grow stronger in his arms. He loved that about her. She didn’t just keel over and let life walk on her. But that didn’t stop a fierce protective instinct from rising in him and making itself known. “I had weird dreams last night. About bears, for some reason.”
He swallowed. Should he tell her now? Would she run screaming? He’d always avoided women for just this reason. If there had been a bear shifter female around who could shift, it would have been easier to explain. But how did he explain it to someone who was mostly human? And once he did, how did he keep her from thinking he only meant to breed her? It was complicated being part human, part animal.
“Anyway, when I woke up, these dark, almost black eyes were staring at me. Staring straight into me. And I had the evilest feeling when I looked into them. I felt—and this sounds crazy, I know—but I felt it wanted me.”
He gritted his teeth and suppressed a growl. Yes, he supposed the bear would want her, with her curves, her strong spirit, everything he liked about her.
Only one problem, she was his. Once he’d claimed her in the way bears claimed mates, the other bears would know she was taken and back off. But until then…
Bears weren’t like wolf shifters, who were more common and marked their mates merely through unprotected sex and mutual orgasm. The bear claiming ritual was more complicated and frankly, a little odd and not something one could just pull off without explaining. Not that he’d ever do that to an innocent woman.
But how to explain?
She snuggled into him. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here.” She let out a dry laugh. “I still can’t believe I’m here with Ryder Hart.”
And I can’t believe I’m here with a warm, loving dream of a woman who is perfect in every way except not knowing I can turn into an animal.
Still, Ryder knew he’d shift if he needed to protect her. He’d do it without thinking and without caring if she hated him after for hiding his secret. The thought of any harm coming to her was unacceptable. Every minute with her made him more unwilling to picture life without her.
It made life back in Silicon Valley seem too empty. Maybe it was time to retire. Travel. Keep up the philanthropy but live off the proceeds of his investments.
He nuzzled his mate’s head, comfortable with calling her that now. No, he’d probably always be a shark in business, but with Janna, his life could be more balanced. Maybe they could spend part of the year here, maybe in San Diego, where she was from…
He realized she was stirring against him nervously and wondered what he should say now. Marry me? I know it’s only been a day or two, but I’m certain we could spend our lives having fun together?
No, that wouldn’t work.
“I’ll go check outside the cabin,” he said, standing. But she tugged on his sleeve.
“No, don’t go out there. He could be out there still.”
“I have bear spray,” he said.
She kept her hold on his sleeve, and he was amused by her protectiveness of him. “No, just wait. How about we get ready for work and head out together. You wanted to get an early start on the paperwork, right?”