RANCHER BEAR’S BABY(39)
Seeing him clinging to the woman, practically trembling, I forgot all of the plans I’d made. I had a son.
I moved closer to them and growled when she held him tighter to her chest. No matter how amazing she smelled, she was holding my son. “Hand him to me.”
Most humans would’ve backed down. Not her. She glared at me through narrowed eyes. Belatedly, I realized her hand was dangerously close to a gun holstered to her side. “I don’t know you. He doesn’t know you. I suggest you back up and give us some time to adjust to you. And your brother’s right. A shower wouldn’t kill you.”
I couldn’t help it, my bear had been cooped inside too long, and I shifted right there in front of her. I was still struggling, man against bear, as I towered over her, dwarfing her. Bear wanted to rub his nose against her delicate looking skin but man won and released a frightening growl in her face.
She didn’t look frightened, though. She stood her ground.
“You smell worse as a bear.”
CHAPTER 3: Sammie
The bear became a very naked man in the blink of an eye. His clothes rested in shredded piles on the floor and I wasn’t the least bit sorry about it. I knew I should look away and give him privacy, but I couldn’t. He drew me in like a magnet. The minute he’d stepped into the big house, I’d felt like I’d gained a sixth sense.
I’d known it was him. Lucas Long. The man I’d been searching for. For Mason, of course. My cheeks burned as my mind noted the slip. I hadn’t been looking for him. I hadn’t been looking for any man.
“Who are you?”
I ran my eyes over his body and then cleared my throat. I had to stop staring at him. I was the bearer of bad news. As always. My job didn’t usually make me a whole lot of fans.
“U.S. Marshal Sammie Delaney. We have to talk.”
His eyes still glowed the same golden shade as Mason’s. He stared at me for a few more seconds before nodding. “Fine.”
He started to walk towards me and I held up my hand. “Shower first.”
He glared at me but quickly ascended the stairs, taking them three at a time. I couldn’t help but stare at his muscular ass and legs as they disappeared around the corner at the top of the stairs.
“Want me to take him?” Carolyn, his mother, asked from beside me.
I looked down at Mason and stroked his head. “Mason? You want to go to your Grandma Carolyn?”
He whined and tightened his hold on me. His little claws dug into me, but I kept a straight face.
Carolyn breathed in deeply and gasped. “Oh, honey. He’s hurting you. I can smell blood.”
I tried to detach Mason gently, but his claws dug in deeper. I sighed and hugged him back to my body. “It seems that I’ve grown a bear. It’s okay. It barely even stings.”
She looked at me with a worried expression, but let it go. “Well, when he’s ready, you just send him right to me. I’ve got a whole load of toys left from when the boys were little. They’re dusty, but I’m sure we can find something great. Just let me know when you’re ready to play, Mason.”
He whimpered in my ear and I rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. “It’s okay, buddy. These people are your family. You don’t have anything to worry about here.”
At least I hoped that was true. I immediately felt like I could trust the others, but Lucas gave me weird feelings that had me on edge.
Just then, he walked back into the room, sporting flannel pajama bottoms. He hadn’t bothered with a shirt and I swore silently.
Laughter came from my right and Alex grinned at me. “Heard that.”
My cheeks burned and I groaned. “Yeah, well, keep it to yourself. Remember, I’m armed.”
He just rolled his eyes and looked around at his brothers. “Come on, guys. Let’s give them a little privacy.”
Everyone slowly left the room after slapping Lucas on the back and telling him they’d missed him. I watched with weariness, trying to pinpoint what it was about the man that had my nerve endings on high alert. There was something about him that made my insides feel chaotic, but something else that I found calming. Weird.
I circled the couch, putting it between us. “You’ve been gone for a while?”
He matched my steps and faced me head on from across the couch. I felt a little bit like prey being stalked. “I was out looking for Mallory.”
A little sting of jealousy bit at me. What the hell was that? I shrugged it off. It made no sense. Not that it mattered. Mallory was gone. “And Mason?”
“Mason.” He smiled as he said the name. “I didn’t know he actually existed. Mallory was never honest. You never knew what to believe about anything she said, and she only mentioned anything about him existing once, while she was high out of her mind.”