Lonely Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Bluff Clan Book 6) Read online

  “Shh, lie still. I won’t hurt you.” That deep masculine voice once more, strong, reassuring. Safe.

  “Who are you? Where are you taking me?” she asked, finding the hard chest beneath her hands immovable.

  “Somewhere safe and warm.” His hands pressed against her flesh, igniting a flame of desire.

  I already feel safe and warm, she thought. Great, she must be delirious too. Now she had feelings for this man who was carrying her off, to who knew where. Yet she had to admit, wherever he took her, whatever he did to her—she swallowed that thought down—had to be better than lying on an exposed mountainside with a bear on the prowl.

  “The bear,” she said, “Has it gone?”

  “Yes,” he said, after a moment of hesitation. “For now it’s gone. You’ll be safe once we reach my cabin. Just lie quietly. You’re so cold.”

  “I’m feeling better now.” Now you are here, she wanted to add, but kept her mouth shut. This day was becoming more and more surreal by the moment. How was it even possible to go through such a huge range of emotions in such a short space of time?

  “My cabin is warm, and I’ll get you some stew. You’ll be feeling better in no time. Then you can get back home.”

  “I hurt my ankle,” she said. She was worried he was going to try to get rid of her at first light, knowing she wouldn’t be able to walk back down the mountainside on her own. But it was too much to ask a complete stranger to help her, or go out of his way for her. She expected all he wanted to do was return to his quiet life. She was nothing more than an inconvenience; she could tell from the tone of his voice. He just wanted her gone.

  “I’ll take a look at it once we get inside. I can strap it up, that should stop it hurting.”

  “Thank you,” she said, wondering if his arms were aching from carrying her. She wasn’t exactly light, and the terrain was rugged. His breathing was starting to become heavier, and his pace slowed. But then when she looked over his shoulder, she could tell they were on a particularly steep slope. Her arms wrapped around him even tighter, and if she didn’t know better, she would have sworn he groaned, deep in his chest, as she pressed her body against his.

  “Nearly there,” he said, and they crossed an open part of the mountain before going into a wooded area. The trees grew thicker, the night darker, but she was no longer afraid. She trusted him; on some level, she could tell that he was trying to help her. As her fears melted away, she began to enjoy the cool night air, fragrant with the scent of pine needles and damp earth. The smell of wood smoke told her they were getting near his cabin, and she relaxed more and more.

  Then he was on the porch of a small, sturdy cabin, the moon reflecting down on the windows through a gap in the trees. She couldn’t see much else, but he paused, his hand reaching for the door handle and then they were going inside. The change in temperature was immediate, the light from a small lamp so bright, it took her a minute to become accustomed to it.

  When she did, she looked around, seeing a small, cosy room, with a fire burning in a big inglenook; in front of it, a shabby but comfortable sofa welcomed her. This is where he carried her and placed her down carefully, as if he thought she would break.

  “Thank you,” she said, looking up into his face for the first time, shocked at his handsome, rugged features. He was one mountain man she would love to be stranded with. But after she was safely ensconced on the sofa, he moved quickly away and she knew he would never like a woman like her.

  They were complete opposites, and so she covered her emotions, telling herself she must just be on the rebound from Jerry.

  Chapter Four – Nate

  The scent of her drove his cock wild. He only hoped she didn’t feel it pressed against her when he held her in his arms, or else she would think he was some kind of sex pervert. There was no way he could tell her it was only for her. Because she was his mate.

  How crazy would that sound? Yes. I know you’re engaged, but we’re supposed to be together forever. So forget about the man you want to marry and stay here with me for the rest of your life.

  Having seen the house where she lived, one of those big mansions in its own grounds over on the far outskirts of Bear Bluff, he had known she would never love a man like him. Regardless of whether she was promised to another man or not. It would have been different if she was a bear shifter like him, but as far as he could tell, she was an ordinary human. Scrap that, she was his luscious, curvy human.

  Damn, he wanted to carry her off to bed right now and claim her. But when she looked at his face and turned away, he knew unless he forced himself on her, which he couldn’t do, because part of the bond meant he couldn’t hurt her in any way, then she was lost to him.

  She moved, and a small cry slipped from her mouth. His heart wrenched in agony. Her hands were covered in cuts, and she sat with her ankle in an awkward position. Time to sweep away his feelings and do his job: protect her and nurture her.

  “Where does it hurt?” he asked, going down on one knee in front of her. Anyone would think he was about to propose.

  “All over,” she laughed, but then her face creased in pain. “My hands are the worst, and my ankle. I don’t think it’s broken, but it really hurts.”

  He braced himself, knowing that this first contact between them was going to be incredibly hard to control. Nate might not have experienced it before, but he had seen it enough times, and heard stories from his father about what it was like to touch your mate for the first time.

  With only his fingertips at first, afraid what would happen if he placed his whole hand on her skin, he lifted the hem of her jeans, and then began to unlace her boots. His hands were shaking, unsteady, but he quickly removed her hiking boot and then her sock. As he moved, his fingertips brushed her skin. A shock of electricity, so strong he thought she must feel it too, coursed through him.

  Looking up, he saw her eyes widen, and her throat move as she swallowed down her confusion. But she didn’t say a word, only placed her hands in her lap and began to fiddle with her engagement ring, twisting it around and around her finger. That told Nate all he needed to know.

  Calm now, he blocked out the way she made him feel and concentrated on helping his injured mate. If that was all he would ever be able to do, then he wanted to make sure he did it properly. Even if it meant he was helping her so that she could walk down the aisle on the arm of another man.

  Chapter Five – Chloe

  Chloe watched his hands as he worked, mesmerised by the touch of his fingers on her skin. Deep feelings of arousal began to spread out, through her veins, igniting her nerve endings. How could he make her feel so aroused? As if she wanted to give herself to him, right now, in his small cabin.

  In all the time she had been with Jerry, he never made her feel like this. But then he had never touched her so intimately as this man was. His fingertips caressed her skin, although she could tell he was trying to be careful with her, not touch her too much. She guessed that the sensations filling her body were completely one-sided. And she felt stupid and foolish, like a little girl next to this grown man.

  “I don’t think there’s anything broken,” he said, looking up at her with soft brown eyes.

  “Good. That would make it difficult to walk back down,” she said, knowing he would want to be rid of her quickly. A solitary man such as this wouldn’t want a woman littering the place up.

  “I’ll get a poultice. It might smell a bit, but it will draw out the swelling and bruising.” He stood up and she felt the loss of his touch strongly.

  “Thank you,” she said. “By the way, I’m Chloe. Chloe Turnstall.”

  “Nice to meet you, Chloe. My name is Nate.” He stared at her, making her stomach do back flips.

  “I can’t tell you how thankful I am to you. There was a moment when I thought I was going to be eaten by the creature that’s out there. I never knew bears would bother a human.”

  “Some bears are just inquisitive. He wouldn’t have hurt you.”
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  “You make it sound like bears are friendly.”

  “Some are. Depends on their nature.”

  “I see. Anyway, thank you again. I’m sure my father would offer you some kind of payment in thanks.” Or maybe not. He might have been happier to get rid of her, but she knew deep down that wasn’t true. Her relationship with her father was more complicated than that. He had been so hurt when her mom died, so deeply haunted, that he had coped in a way that had pushed Chloe out, at a time she needed him the most.

  His face clouded, “I don’t want payment. Not for this.” His voice held a tinge of anger, and she wondered what she had done to upset him. Maybe she had hurt his pride.

  “I’m sorry, I guess I sometimes struggle to think that anyone would do anything for me without it being for money.” She smiled weakly. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  His face softened. “You didn’t. But I don’t need your money. Your thanks is enough. Now I’m going to get that poultice.”

  Nate left the room, giving her a chance to take in her surroundings. It was a small room, but cosy just the same, inviting and warm. Staring at the fire, she thought how wonderful it would be to live in a place like this, with no real responsibilities. Nothing but the need for food and warmth. And Nate.

  Pushing that away, she concentrated on the cabin again. The furniture was all carved from wood. Chloe imagined he had made it all himself; well, what else do you do stuck up here all year round? As she smoothed her hand over the intricate detail of the hand rest on the sofa she lay on, her mind slipped into dream mode. Chloe imagined his strong, capable hands carving out her desire, making it into something he owned, something he moulded.

  “Ready?” he asked, coming back into the room with a steaming bowl of water.

  She jumped, feeling guilty. “Yes.”

  He knelt before her again, lifting her foot so that it rested on his thigh. Those same strong sensations spread out, warming her insides, setting her heart thumping in her chest. Did he feel it too? If he did he kept it hidden, his eyes down, concentrating on her ankle, which already looked bruised and swollen. With the lightest of touch, he wrapped a warm piece of cloth around her ankle, the smell reaching her nose. Herbs of some kind, plants he must gather up here in the mountains and dry, ready for damsels in distress.

  “Do you live here alone?” she asked, needing to fill the silence.

  “Yes. I’ve lived here for six months. Before I used to use it for hunting, but now I live here full time.”

  “Don’t you get lonely?”

  His eyes flicked up to hers and held her gaze, searching for something, but then he turned away and she wasn’t sure whether he had found it or not. Instead, he just replied, “It suits my nature.”

  “Don’t you like people?” she asked, knowing she was prying but still needing to know all she could about him.

  “It’s not that I don’t like them.” He hesitated, that same look in his eyes. “It’s just sometimes it’s easier to be away from them.”

  “I see. And I understand. Especially family. Too many questions, too many expectations.” She touched her engagement ring again, wanting to take it off. But she knew how it would look, as though she were coming on to him, and his every movement, every look, told her he was not interested. So the ring and the lie stayed firmly in place.

  “There,” he said, tying the bandage off. “How does that feel?”

  She flexed her ankle. “Much better, thank you.”

  “Now you should eat and have something warm to drink. Try to relax.”

  Oh, I’m very relaxed, she thought. But to him she said, “Are you sure? I hate to be an inconvenience.”

  “You aren’t,” he said, and to Chloe, his eyes told her she could never be.

  Confusion mixed in with all the other feelings that were swamping her body, One minute he was telling her he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, the next his eyes told her of his deep, dark desires. Well, of course. He was a man in his prime, living up here all on his own. So he must experience some kind of sexual frustration. Right?

  A whole new thought struck her. Maybe that was what she needed, to get over Jerry, to make her feel wanted, like a desirable woman instead of the doormat she pictured herself as now. Jerry had cheated on her with a pretty, skinny woman, and Chloe needed to wipe that from her memory. Maybe by replacing it with a new, exciting memory, one that involved a certain hunky woodsman.

  “I hope you like this,” he said, coming back into the room with a big bowl of stew. “I made it earlier and have just heated it up. And I made coffee.”

  “It smells wonderful,” she said, the aroma of the stew making her mouth water. “Do you grow everything yourself?”

  “No,” he said, sitting on a chair opposite her with a mug of coffee of his own. “I trade for food. The soil is too thin up here for most vegetables to grow.”

  “So you go down to town often?” Did she really sound that excited at the prospect of one day running into him again?

  He certainly thought so, because his eyes darted to hers, once again trying to read her thoughts. “Not too often. Every couple of weeks.”

  “What do you trade?” she asked, taking her first mouthful of the piping-hot stew. It was delicious, even if, despite blowing on it, it burnt her tongue.

  “I carve things. Animals mainly. Or walking sticks, I take orders. It makes me enough to live on. That and the foraging I do. Nuts, fruits, they are abundant at this time of year.”

  “Why?” she asked, letting his stew warm her and his eyes excite her. “Why do you live up here like this all alone?”

  He took a sip of his coffee and turned to look at the fire. “Something happened, and I needed to get away.”

  She laughed ironically. “I can certainly sympathise with you there. Sometimes I think there would be nothing better than to get away from it all.”

  “Aren’t you happy? With your life?” He frowned and his eyes flicked to her ring, his full attention on her now.

  “Sometimes, things don’t always turn out how you expect them to. Do they?” She held his eyes, trying to see if he could understand what she meant.

  But he dragged himself away, getting up abruptly and leaving the room. “I’ll get some blankets. You can have my bed, I’ll take the sofa.”

  She ate the rest of her stew, watching the fire as it happily consumed the wood in its hunger to burn bright and long. Just as she thought her love for Jerry, would always burn bright and long. But already, after being here with Nate, that future was dimming. Maybe she hadn’t loved him as much as she thought. Instead, she had been in love with the future they were going to build together.

  She knew why. If she looked very hard, she knew exactly why. It was to replace the family she had lost when her mom died of cancer. Because her family life had been torn from her at that point. Her father never tried to rekindle it. Instead, he took a new wife, and the warmth had gone from her life.

  Jerry had offered her a fairy-tale ending. One where the wicked loneliness was replaced by a husband and kids to love. A tear trickled down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away. She really was one messed-up jilted bride.

  Chapter Six – Nate

  He went to the bedroom, big mistake, because all he could think of was how wonderful it would be to lay her down on his bed, the bed he had carved himself, and make love to her. He could just imagine pressing himself inside her warm sex, of feeling her come around him. And he was sure she felt something too, the scent of her arousal tickled his nose.

  But the ring on her finger was like a talisman, warding him off. She was not his to take; she belonged to another man. Until she took that damn ring off, she was not his to touch, not his to kiss.

  Opening the closet, he took out a spare pillow and blanket. Then he grabbed an extra one to place on the bed. She didn’t have his warm bear blood, and the fire wasn’t lit in here. He didn’t want her to get cold.

  But he could warm her with his body.


  No. No, he couldn’t. Nate firmed his resolve. Tomorrow, he had to find the willpower to carry her back down the mountain and permanently out of his life. He needed to remove the temptation that was Chloe. His true mate.

  Back out into the living room, he found her staring at the fire, an air of sadness around her. Missing her man, he suspected.

  “Come on, I’ll carry you through to the bedroom. I expect a good night’s sleep will do wonders for you. Then tomorrow we’ll get you home.”

  She didn’t brighten when he said that. Once more, she confused him. If only he could read her mind.

  “Are you sure? About me, having your bed? You look too big for the sofa.”

  “I’ll manage. I can always sleep on the floor.”

  “Now I feel even worse.”

  I could always share the bed with you. Make love to you all night, and erase the very thought of your fiancé from your memory.

  “I insist.” He came to her, but before he picked her up, he asked, “Is this OK? If I carry you? Or I could help you walk.”

  “No, I don’t think I could take another step.”

  Nate bent down and lifted her, cradling her gently against his chest, feeling her soft, sweet breath on his neck. Her head rested on his shoulder and she took a long, contented sigh. In his pants, his cock stirred, growing harder, until it was painfully pressed against his zipper, begging to be released.

  Trying to quell any thoughts of Chloe naked in his bed, he took her to his bedroom and practically dumped her on the bed as if she burned him. She looked a little startled.

  “Sorry,” he said, with no more of an explanation.

  “Do you have a shirt or something I could wear? It’s just that my clothes are filthy and I don’t want to get your bed all dirty.”

  You could sleep naked.

  “I’ll grab you something.”

  He went to his closet again, and fetched her a shirt. Placing it on the bed, he looked down as she struggled to undress, her hands stiff and sore.