Bear My Love: BBW BWWM Paranormal Shapeshifter Werebear Mail-Order Bride Romance (Shifter Grove Brides Book 4) (3 page)

Keesha whipped her head around. She almost dropped her purse when she saw the mountain of a man that had come to greet her. He stood at a respectful distance from the stairs, looking both sheepish and completely ready for action at the same time. Keesha gulped.

Holy shit, he’s big. What if I don’t like him? What if
he
doesn’t like
me
? Then I’ve come all the way to Idaho on some bird-brained scheme and I’m suddenly stuck with psycho pilots and freaking man-bear-trees to keep me company. God, why can’t I just think things through…

That internal monologue was cut short by Battle smirking slightly, his gray eyes roaming up and down the length of her body. He looked as awkward as she felt, but as he took in the sight of her, he seemed to relax. Curiously enough, so did she. Keesha knew that look. She’d never seen it burn quite as intensely in anyone’s eyes, and it had never lit her aflame like a Roman candle, but she definitely knew what it was – lust.

And she knew what to do with it.

She conjured a smile on her lips and heaved her purse over her shoulder.

“You going to stand there or are you going to come and say hello?” she asked, her teeth grazing across her lower lip.

A muscle in his jaw twitched and Keesha felt herself completely flooding with expectation. It wasn’t just that he was checking her out, but she was doing the same to him. She was practically gaping at him, and she couldn’t muster the strength to stop.

He was just so…
built
.

Big and strong seemed like words that were nowhere near large enough to describe him. Battle was impressive and not just for a man. If he was so broad and muscled now, she had to wonder how he looked as a bear. She’d never seen a shifter in their animal form, but she was definitely burning with curiosity to see him change.

Battle crossed the few feet separating them and before Keesha could make another snappy remark, she’d been drawn against him in a long embrace. She couldn’t swallow the little mewl that bubbled up when he pressed her against him, her soft curves tight against his hard body. One of her hands rested on his bicep and the other was clinging to her purse, though she was seriously considering just dropping it and holding onto him instead.

It was like her breath was kicked out of her. He hadn’t said a word yet and already she felt like she’d known him for an eternity. And being against him just felt
so
good she couldn’t fathom letting go of him. All the stress that had been building inside of her over the last few days seemed to waft away for a few moments, leaving her simply… happy.

And a little bit horny.

Okay, a lot horny.

She’d expected to find a gruff, ruggedly handsome werebear, and what she’d found was a man dripping with raw sex appeal. Her knees were ready to buckle right then and there, and by the way his heart was pounding in his chest, she had to guess that he felt much the same.

“Hey, you two love birds. Any chance you could take this show a few feet to the right so I don’t end up running over you when I head out?” Slate’s amused voice called, watching them from the door.

Keesha and Battle jumped away from one another as if they’d been hit by lightning.

How long were we standing there?
she wondered.

If the look on Slate’s face was anything to judge by, then quite a while.

“Thanks, man,” Battle said, taking Keesha’s heavy suitcases from Slate.

She’d had a hell of a time lugging them through the airport the first time, but he made it look like she’d packed a toothbrush and maybe a comb and that was it. Both of the suitcases that had clocked in at exactly the maximum allowed weight were nearly weightless in his hands.

Her mind immediately went to imagining what else those hands could do other than lifting heavy things. Keesha swallowed dryly, shaking her head a little to clear the lustful haze that was quickly forming.

Focus. You only met him just now. Try to keep your panties on until you at least get to exchange words with him, huh?

But it was so hard to do when he looked and sounded so good. Battle had that rich, deep timber voice that could make a woman swoon, and Keesha was close to doing just that. She scrunched her hands into fists, trying to regain her composure.

Battle gave her a look, his short-cropped dark hair and gray eyes making him look dark and mysterious, and her resolve to behave wavered again. How could he make her think of sex just like that? Must have been that jaw of his. Or those eyes. Or the bulging muscles she wanted to trace with her tongue. Okay, so there were a lot of reasons.

“My truck’s over there,” he said, his voice caressing her ears again.

“Okay,” she said, a little too eagerly. “Take me to your lair!”

She was going to have to kick herself for her overflowing enthusiasm later.

CHAPTER FOUR

Keesha

When Keesha and Battle arrived at the little cottage, Keesha felt like she might just drown any second. Battle wasn’t a man of many words, so she was left to mostly sit in silence as they both searched for things to say. That, however, gave her plenty of time to sneak glances at him and get more and more ridiculously aroused.

He should have a damn consumer’s warning on him. This just isn’t natural,
Keesha thought, fanning herself with a notebook she’d fished out of her purse – it wasn’t even hot.

The trees were turning into a colorful array of red and yellow swatches, lining the way as Battle led them through backwater dirt roads. It was beautiful, but it made Keesha realize that winter wasn’t far behind and, as cold as things got in Massachusetts, she was sure it would get colder still in Idaho. Of course, why she was considering the long-term ramifications of local weather when her trip was only supposed to last for two weeks was an entirely different question altogether.

“So, this is home,” Battle said a little unsurely as he parked the truck.

“It’s cute!”

Keesha hopped out of the truck before Battle could come around the car and open the door for her. She whipped out her phone right away and took a few snaps of the little cabin in the woods, secluded and far from anyone else. She thought it was entirely adorable and
rustic
. Only the smallest of voices at the back of her head reminded her that she was alone with a man she didn’t know very well, in a cabin, in the woods… without any neighbors around.

He can’t be worse than Parker. Even if he is a deranged ax murderer.

Sure enough, Battle picked up her two suitcases and a worn-looking ax out of the bed of the truck and headed for the front door. Keesha tried to post the pic she took to Instagram, but she was getting no cell-reception and obviously no cellular internet either – figures.

With a sigh, she tucked the phone back into her purse and followed Battle, enjoying the view from behind. His ass looked as good as the rest of him. Throughout the drive, she’d had serious issues with dragging her eyes away from the tight, corded muscles that seemed to morph into the tattoos on his arms. He’d told her he had a few tats, but she hadn’t expected to like them as much as she did.

Bad boy bear – yummy!

Battle pushed open the front door and stepped in.

“No lock?”

“This is shifter country. Anyone who wants to get in is going to get in. Having a lock on a door would just mean I’d have to replace a door,” Battle said nonchalantly.

He put down her suitcases and kicked off his boots. Keesha followed his lead, stepping out of her high heels and letting out a particularly satisfied groan when her feet hit the hardwood floor. It felt like heaven not teetering up high anymore, in shoes that were made to look good but not feel good.

“You know, you probably can’t wear those much here,” Battle said, pointing loosely at her shoes.

“Why not?”

“Well, I’m no expert, but I’d imagine they don’t make for good mud-wading or rock-climbing shoes, and we have a lot of both.”

Battle shrugged, looking a little bit worried about her choice of footwear. She thought it was adorable. His thick brow furrowed and he looked every bit like the thoughtful bear she assumed him to be – big and ferocious but utterly cuddly. She just hoped he couldn’t smell how much she wanted him, to at least give her the pretense of playing hard to get… Though she might have ruined that by showing up in Idaho in the first place.

They’d been sort of standing around for nearly a minute before Battle emerged from his reverie and reached his hand out to her.

“Come on, I’ll give you the tour,” he said.

She slipped her hand into his, butterflies fluttering up the length of her spine as their skin touched, and followed him. The cabin really was tiny. It only had a living room-kitchen that led out onto the porch, one bedroom and a bathroom. There was also a small storage space tucked away in the back, but that was barely bigger than a closet.

All of it was peculiarly empty, as well – like no one lived there at all. There were fresh sheets on the bed and another set at the foot of the bed. There wasn’t anything on the walls or shelves, and Keesha could just spy one bag thrown haphazardly in a corner in the bedroom – the only sign that Battle had been there before at all.

“You can have the bedroom. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

She almost wanted to protest at that.

“Did you just move in?” she asked curiously.

Battle looked a bit uncomfortable at her question. He nodded, letting go of Keesha’s hand to go retrieve her luggage. She felt ridiculous for wanting to tell him to come back and just hold her hand some more. He picked up the suitcases and brought them into the bedroom, setting them down gently by the only wardrobe.

“I did, yeah. I just got a job around here and I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to stay. But I guess I’m staying now.”

“What made you change your mind?”

His steely gray eyes sought out hers and her breath got caught in her throat a little as he looked at her. There was an intensity about him that just grabbed her and wouldn’t let go. Keesha was used to dealing with powerful men with big egos, but Battle was nothing like that. Powerful, yes, but the ego seemed to be tucked away further behind the capabilities. He didn’t need to
think
he was impressive, he just was. At best, he looked completely unaware that he was great at all, but Keesha had no doubt that he was.

“You did.”

“I did?” she asked, her carefully shaped brows shooting up in surprise. “How?”

“You came here. I can’t leave now.”

He said that like it was the most natural thing. Battle pursed his lips slightly, not a hint of a joke about him, and finished with a mild shrug. It was like a mountain shifting a little. He seemed to think nothing of what he had just said, but Keesha’s world was left reeling. She’d never met a man who was quite so… frank. And honestly, it was a massive turn-on. Not that she needed any more encouragement.

This was one of those rare occasions when Keesha Bailey was left tongue-tied and without a word to say. Somehow, Battle seemed to bring that out in her. She fumbled with her words, trying to find something adequate to say, but the only thing she could coax out of her voice box was a strangled sigh of sorts. Battle smirked and stalked out of the bedroom. Keesha was thankful for it – she was already getting far too many good ideas.

“So, what happens now?” Keesha asked, walking after him.

It was far easier to talk to him when those eyes of his weren’t roaming the length of her body, making her wonder what he could do with his hands, his tongue, his… oh, his everything. She wasn’t going to be picky. If anything, she wanted to find out sooner rather than later. Not only did she have a bunch of irritation to work out – which could only be achieved by intense fucking – but Battle was also the kind of man that didn’t come around too often. Can’t waste a good chance like that, now can she?

“I didn’t think that far ahead,” he admitted honestly.

Keesha grinned. God, he was adorable.

“Dinner? I’m starving.”

That seemed to perk him right up. Always take the easy road to a man’s heart – through his stomach!

“I warn you, though, I’m not a great chef. I can make Ramen noodles and stir in one of those flavor packets and call it a culinary masterpiece,” Keesha joked, leaning on the armrest of the couch with a playful smile on her lips.

“Well, it’s not like we have anything to cook, anyway,” Battle said, opening up the fridge door and showing her the contents.

She could see a pack of butter, some potatoes and a six-pack of beer – a man of basic tastes. She didn’t mind one bit.

“Yeah, that’s… Well, you can’t make Ramen out of that. So, should we head into town? See this Shifter Grove of yours? You seemed awfully excited about it when you arrived.”

“That’s an option, but it’s a bit of a drive from here…” Battle looked like he’d just concocted the best plan in the world. “I think I might have a better idea. How do you feel about salmon?”

“Love it. Why?”

“Get changed. I wanna show you something.”

Keesha thought she was done with men giving her orders, but when Battle gave one, she snapped to attention. Or, at least, she was eager to do what he told her to. She could think of a few things she’d like to hear him tell her to do.

CHAPTER FIVE

Battle

His every muscle was straining against his skin, focus roiling through him. His powerful teeth were bared, thick lips smacking against them, and his body was rigid. The water lapped and lashed against his sides, dousing him and making his fur glisten. The bear had control and, for that moment, nothing but the beast and the prey mattered.

Faintly, he could sense movement in the water. The river was low and wide where he was standing, with rocks spilled all around and poking out of the water. There weren’t a lot of fish around, but there were enough – he just needed one.