“Right,” he said, impressed once again by her bravery. She wanted to come with him. She was one in a million. He’d been right to listen to his bear. “Well, I’ll get dressed, then. Will you feel safe in here? I can turn around and cover my eyes.”
She laughed, a low, sultry sound that had his groin tightening in response. “No, I’ll be fine. But if you did stay, I think covering your eyes would be beyond the point. Considering what we did.”
He groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
She laughed again and shooed him out, and he let out a long sigh as he pulled clothing from his travel bag. He was halfway dressed with no shirt when she came out, her hair in a tight ponytail with wispy curls escaping at the front in an adorable way. He froze, shirt over his head, and watched her gaze travel down his abdomen.
He was proud as she studied him. As a bear shifter, and a grizzly at that, his physique was matchless. Naturally muscled and buff with great tone. Rare for someone his height who was not a shifter. At 6’7”, Ryder was a force to be reckoned with, cashmere sweater or no. And he liked that he knew he was capable of protecting her from almost anything in the world. Anything on legs, that was.
Her pretty brown skin flushed and she looked away, seeming like it was hard for her to do. He bit back a grin. His mate liked the way he looked. Perfect. He pulled on his favorite sweater. A deep emerald green that reminded him of runs in the forest. He did up his belt and put on shoes and socks while she did up her coat. His mate looked gorgeous today, in red again. A red sweater with dark, tight jeans that drew attention to each little curve of her luscious body.
Ryder hoped it wasn’t obvious that his mouth was watering. She walked over to him, and he found himself once again appreciating her height. If she hadn’t been somewhat tall for a woman, it would have been more difficult for him to kiss and hold her. He liked that there was enough of her to feel bountiful and luxurious in his arms. Though he had a feeling that if he’d met her any other way at any other weight, he still would have been smitten.
It was what she had inside her as well. That obvious integrity and that infallible independence that inexplicably made him want to take care of her.
There was something satisfying about a woman who was able to live without you but wanted to live with you.
He grinned as he followed her out to the truck. Even in her long trench coat, he could see her large ass swaying tantalizingly, and he adjusted the front of his pants to be less painful when he was sure she wasn’t looking. His inner bear stayed on the lookout, scenting the air for any hint of a competing predator. He was uneasy about the black bear.
But black bear shifters were just so submissive compared to grizzlies. He really wouldn’t have to worry until one of those set their sights on Janna. And if either of his brothers did, he’d slap them silly.
But he couldn’t forget Janna saying how evil it had felt to look into the bear’s eyes. It kept him slightly off balance on the entire walk to the lodge. He smiled and listened with one ear as Janna laid out her plans for going over the books for the lodge, but he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the fact that someone had come to scare his mate when she’d been under his protection.
His protection. Neither his grizzly nor his human was accustomed to people daring to mess with things that were his. And now that he had someone who meant more than anything, he didn’t like that it was happening now.
“You okay?” she asked. “You look tense.”
“I’m fine,” he said. “I’m glad the bear seems to be gone. Honestly, he was probably just drawn by the food and scared off by your scream.”
“That’s true,” she said. “He seemed just as startled by my yelling as I was by him being there when I woke up.”
“Creeper bear,” Ryder muttered.
“Creepbear?” she said, putting the two words together.
He laughed and put an arm around her and was happy when she didn’t resist. He really had no right to, especially when they were about to go in under the guise of merely working together, but he couldn’t help wanting at least to show some possession before they encountered other men, like his brothers.
Speak of the devils, Riley and Ryan were standing by the front desk. Riley was flirting shamelessly with a blushing front desk lady, and Ryan was studying his nails, looking bored. Then again, if Ryan wasn’t outside having some kind of sporting adventure, he was always bored.
Ryder drew himself to full height, trying to look intimidating as they approached. He could feel the pheromones from his future mate and knew his brothers would be aware of it. Sure enough, Riley looked up with a grin in those keen hazel eyes that had won so many women’s hearts and stared from Janna to Ryder with a look that said he knew exactly what was going on. Ryan looked up long enough to give a nod, scent the air, and then go back to whatever game he was messing around with on his phone.