Bear Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire #2)(31)

His body was overwhelmingly enormous and blocked out the entire forest behind him. The muscular hump over his shoulders was taller than she was and, intimidated all over again, she began serial petting him in jerky strokes, trying to stifle the whimper in her throat. At this rate, if her heart beat any faster, it would just explode in her chest, and she would drop like a log.

Bear, apparently sensing her distress because clearly he could sense everything, eased off her and plopped down to the ground where he rolled to his back and wiggled this way and that until the dirt kicked up and made her cough a laugh.

He reached out for her with one giant paw roughly the size of her head.

“Belly scratch?” she asked in a pitch one decibel down from dog whistle.

He huffed a hard breath and wiggled closer, looking more like a giant corgi begging belly rubs than a murderous brown bear.

Lena let off a surprised laugh and stumbled forward on legs that had gone numb and noodle-like. “Right, I’m going to pet your belly now, you massive grizzly.” This was not where she imagined her life would end up.

Primly and carefully, she bent at the waist and reached out for him, standing as far away as possible. Bear had a different idea, though, because he curved his paw around her backside and pulled her forward until she fell onto his belly. There she froze, waiting for him to murder her, but nope, he just made the purring noise as she lay like a star on top of him.

“I’m going to make a fur angel,” she said in a muffled voice against his belly.

Another Bear laugh, and she was off, arms waving slowly against his massive shape. Her emotions were all over the place as she laughed. Spinning slowly, she slid down his belly and sat on the ground against him.

“This is an awful big secret to keep all this time, Jenner,” she whispered, wiping her clammy palms onto her jeans.

Bear curled protectively around her and lay his enormous head next to her, then sighed a sad sound, kicking up dirt again.

“This is why you can growl and your eyes change colors. This is why you can smell everything. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, but you have to understand this isn’t in the realm of what I thought could possibly be reality for anyone.”

Bear grunted an understanding sound, and she scooted over, snuggling against his neck.

“This is why you and your brothers can’t get along.” God, what a hard life, keeping a massive beast tucked away. No wonder he preferred to be out here in the wilderness. He’d found the perfect job. As a guide, he only had to deal with people for a short amount of time, and he had the excuse to be scouting when his animal needed to roam. This was the perfect way to make a living for a bear-man like Jenner. And no wonder he was so good at guiding—so sought after. He could find game because he was a freaking bear. He was one of the animals that belonged out in these woods.

Lena inhaled his scent and committed it to memory. Jenner the man had always had a distinct scent of pine, soap, and something she hadn’t been able to put her finger on, but now she realized it was this. Animal fur. And as she snuggled closer to him, burying her face against his neck, she fell for him even harder. There were no barriers here in the evening shadows, out here away from anything or anyone that would judge her relationship with a wild man like him. Here, she was safe with her bear-man and could say anything she wanted because no one could hear her but him, and he couldn’t respond to reject her. Not like this. Not in bear form.

“Jenner?” He snaked his face closer to her in the dirt, so she dipped her lips near his ear and whispered, “I’m not running. I like you more because you shared this part of yourself with me. I…” She swallowed hard and closed her eyes tightly as she said the words that had been murmuring through her mind. “I love you just the same, maybe more now.”

Jenner froze under her, and for a moment, she thought she’d been wrong. Jenner didn’t need words to reject her. But as the first tendrils of regret unfurled in her chest, Jenner pulled her closer with his massive arm, his claws gentle against her fragile, paper-thin skin, and his satisfied hum was back in his chest, rattling against her.

And it was enough.

Even if Jenner the man couldn’t say the words or perhaps didn’t feel as deeply as she did yet, Bear adored her just fine.





Chapter Ten


Jenner couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her. His mate. Lena didn’t understand the mark he’d put on her shoulder yet, but she would. He just had to find the right time to tell her.

Across the fire, Lena had that absent smile that was so f*cking adorable he wanted to take her in the tent and make her gasp his name. She was noisy when she came. Perfect. Perfect mate. Telling him just what she liked and training him to understand her body. He’d never felt so deeply about anyone. Not even Brea could touch what was forming between him and Lena.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about,” she said softly. She hadn’t said much since he’d Changed back, but it wasn’t the bad kind of silence. The smile on her lips had been constant since he’d come out of the woods a man again, and he’d held her as long as she let him. Until her stomach growled, and his inner bear snarled that he needed to feed her. That he needed to take better care of his mate.

“You,” he said simply.

“Oh yeah? Well I’m thinking about me, too, like, I want you to meet my family, and I’m already thinking of excuses for your growls and changing eyes.”