Bear to the End (Bear Claw Security Book 5) Read online

  “Fundraisers, donations,” she said. “And yeah, some grants. Mostly, it’s a work of love for us.”

  The other women in the office nodded. One of them, an older blonde with fluffy hair pulled into a bun on her head, laced with white, walked forward and looked him over.

  “Well, hello handsome,” she said.

  Char snorted. “Cool it, Connie.”

  Connie shrugged, lifting one hand and clicking bright-red fingernails together. “If you want to bring a beefcake like that in here and you don’t want us to talk to him, you’re going to need to claim him.”

  Mark had no idea what to say to that, and then Connie laughed and turned on her heel, and Char let out a little sigh.

  “Connie’s a hoot,” she said, sounding like she only half meant it. “But she does awesome work here. Just be careful. She’s a bit of a cougar.”

  He almost asked if she meant literally, but he supposed Char wouldn’t know, since cat shifters were secretive and couldn’t be scented by other shifters.

  “So what would you like me to do while you’re working?” he asked.

  She blinked up at him with her adorable milk-chocolate eyes, long lashes fluttering. “Shoot,” she said, shoving a hand down on her palm. “I didn’t think of that.”

  “Do you have someone doing your finances?”

  She bit her lip. “I mean, part time, yeah. And me and the other girls work on it when we can. When we aren’t meeting with clients.”

  “I can take a look.”

  She narrowed her eyes, and he inwardly swore. “How do you know about accounting?”

  “Well, I own Bear Claw. I have to know some things,” he said, hating passionately every lie that came out of his mouth where his mate was concerned.

  “All right,” she said. “Leslie?” she called out, and another woman came out of a back office. She was curvy, like Char, but had messy hair pulled into two thick braids from which hair was escaping, and thick glasses perched on her nose. Plus a lumpy sweater over a too-big maxi skirt.

  If Char was conservative about hiding her body, this woman was practically going undercover.

  “Yes?” she asked quietly.

  “Can you get me the past two months’ financials?” Char asked. “This is my friend, Mark. He’s here to help us for a few days. Maybe a week.”

  Leslie eyed him with suspicion but nodded, disappearing into another office that was filled to the roof with boxes. She brought one out and dumped it on the desk, giving Mark a cold glare before disappearing again.

  “Sorry,” Char said. “Leslie’s had some bad experiences with men.” She folded her arms over her generous chest. “Most of us have.”

  “Understood,” he said, taking the box. He wanted to know so much more about Char’s personal connection to this job, but he knew it was important to let her tell him on her own terms.

  One thing was for sure. He wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

  He’d thought he was seeing more of the world, working at Bear Claw and being outside the one percent.

  But this was a totally different world. He worked quietly at a desk near Charlotte and got to see her meet with many different women over the day. Each time, he was impressed with her compassion and professionalism with the women she met.

  And each time, he grew a little more in love with her.

  And a little more pissed at the world and the men in it. Were there really this many awful men out there? His own father had been a real piece of work, trying to sell off Mark’s brother for personal gain in the business world.

  But still, that had felt like one person in his circle. Now he was seeing women from all walks of life dealing with the same thing in different ways.

  Each time he saw a bruise, he had to stop the bear in him from tearing out. He had claw marks in his palms from the amount of times he had to keep focused, put his eyes back on the papers in front of him, and remind himself he couldn’t just go vigilante on everyone in the world who hurt a woman or child.

  That’s what really killed him. The ones who came in with kids. Who could hurt a kid? Or the mother of their child? It was some kind of crazy opposite world to him, where the people who were meant to protect were doing the hurting.

  By the time they were ready to head home, he felt weary in a way he never had before. Down to his soul. He’d thought he helped people when he could. He donated to charity. He helped small businesses. He worked with his brother to subsidize the costs of operating Bear Claw so all clients could afford it.

  Still, now he felt like he was completely inadequate next to Charlotte.

  She looked over at him on the drive home, and he could tell she could see how affected he was. Made sense. He felt like the blood had permanently vacated his face.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have warned you what I did was a little intense. I guess after a few years, I’ve become kind of numb to it. I have to be or I can’t provide help the way I need to. I need to think logically.”

  He knew about that at least. “Don’t be sorry. It’s good for me to see new things.”

  She eyed him at that. “I imagine you saw plenty in the military.”

  “Not like this,” he said truthfully. He felt like any of the men at Bear Claw, as protective as they were, would be shaken by what he’d witnessed today. And he wanted to do something about it.

  “Well, you asked me earlier when I’d started working here,” she said. “I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to tell you. I just… It’s embarrassing.”

  He raised an eyebrow as he took a turn. “You have personal experience? Is your ex like those men?”

  She nodded tightly, and he curled his hands around the steering wheel.

  “It was a while ago. But yes. And when I found this place, they helped me. And then I thought… What about the women who work there? I wanted to do that. I knew it wouldn’t pay well. That it would mean living somewhere like, well, like I live. But it’s worth it, helping women like they helped me.”

  He nodded. “It’s admirable. None of that is embarrassing.”

  “It feels that way,” she said. “Ask any of us. It’s just that no one ever plans to be in that position. You feel like you should have seen something. That you did something wrong.” Her voice got tight.

  He wanted to reach for her but knew it wasn’t right. Not yet.

  One day, he’d be the one to comfort her about everything. One day, he’d have the right to. But not today.

  They stopped on the way home to order takeout, and after they’d gotten back to her place and eaten, she looked extremely tired.

  She hadn’t talked much during dinner, and that had been fine with him. His mind was still spinning after all the stories he’d seen and heard that day without even meaning to. And he was already thinking of ways he could help.

  But first, he was thinking of how much more secure he wanted to make her place. And he needed her out of the way if he was going to do it.

  But being reminded about how scummy men could be made him feel the apartment they were in wasn’t close to adequate. And sure, he was here now, but what if she got pissed with him and threw him out? He’d want to make sure she was safe.

  “You look tired,” he said. “Didn’t you sleep okay last night?”

  She rubbed her eyes. “Not really. Just a lot of excitement during the day. Besides, it’s not often I have a hot man in my house.” Then she bit her lip, and he could tell she was blushing as she looked quickly away from him.

  Seriously? This gorgeous woman was losing sleep over him?

  She snorted. “Don’t get a big head about it. My bed isn’t that comfortable anyway.”

  That rankled as well. She deserved the best bed in the world. “Why don’t you go take a nap or hit the hay early?” he asked. “I have some more work to do on the system to make it more secure, so you might as well get rest.” He frowned. “But you might want some earplugs. Could be loud.”

  He was grateful when she didn’t fight him. “You
’re probably right,” she said, yawning and stretching. He swept the empty takeout containers into the trash and put away the rest.

  She gave him a long look before she headed down the hall to her room. He practically felt his skin light on fire. He’d thought he’d be numb for a while after what he’d seen today. But then just being alone with her, feeling the heat between them, was healing him.

  Like he wanted to heal her.

  “Go to sleep, babe,” he said. “You’ll feel better in the morning.”

  “And you’ll be okay out here?” she asked.

  He nodded, and she waved and disappeared into her room.

  “I’ll be fine as long as I can be here with you,” he said to himself as he took out his phone and dialed a number. “Craig? Yeah. I need you on a job. Yeah.” He gave his contractor the address and then hung up.

  Hopefully, Char wouldn’t be mad when she woke up and saw what he’d done. But he couldn’t keep himself from doing things for her any more than he could keep the moon from shining.

  It wasn’t only getting worse the longer he was with her.

  Four

  Char woke exhausted after another night filled with dreams of her new bodyguard.

  It was so odd. She’d often had dreamless sleep or occasional nightmares. But she’d never had sex dreams. Not until the past two nights with Mark in her house.

  It was so unlike her. She almost dreaded getting changed and walking into the living room. At least she would remember to put on clothing this time. She grinned as she recalled how embarrassed she’d been the other morning.

  There was something very sweet about the man who was protecting her. It wasn’t just the way he got them food, sent her to bed early, and watched her like a hawk for any danger. It was the way she’d seen him get so angry over the stuff that happened at the shelter. The way he honestly seemed bothered by what went on with some of the most disadvantaged in society, when so many could just walk away from it.

  It felt good knowing he could empathize.

  Why it should matter, she didn’t know. After all, he was just hired protection. Yet every hour she spent with him, she could feel it becoming something else. She felt there was more to him beneath the surface than met the eye, and she wasn’t sure exactly how she knew, but she did.

  She stretched and felt a little frisson of nerves run over her at going out to see him. Maybe she could get more time to talk to him on the drive and at break time at work. He knew a lot about her now that he knew she’d been in an abusive marriage. She knew nothing about him, other than he’d been in the military and was estranged from his rich family and ran a security company.

  She took a quick shower, got dressed, and then walked out into the living room… And gasped, one hand flying up to cover her mouth.

  What on earth?

  Her eyes flew to where he was on the ground, his big body barely grazed by a small blanket as he sprawled haphazardly on the cushions. She blinked at the room around her, completely changed overnight.

  Gone were the old, splintered window and door and their frames. In their place were brand new installations, with fresh white paint and thick frames and hefty locks, including a thick double deadbolt as well as a chain lock on the door.

  “Don’t look too impressed,” he said, sitting up. “I didn’t do it on my own. I called help.”

  She was still speechless. She’d always hated the drafty old window and the creaky door, but she hadn’t had the money or know-how to fix them. She was grateful, but at the same time…

  He was yawning and running both hands through his thick blond hair, looking like a model someone had deposited on her living room floor. She gaped at him.

  “Does Bear Claw have the money to do this?”

  He looked at her blearily, blinking a couple times to clear his mind. It was obvious he wasn’t sleeping well here, and that gave her a moment of guilt. “We’re subsidized for things like this.” He stretched and stood, unintentionally towering over her. “Plus, if anyone in the world deserves this, it’s someone like you. I’m going to see if we can make a donation to the shelter, too.”

  She walked in front of him as he headed to the refrigerator, blocking him with folded arms. Her heart pounded hard, and she didn’t even know why.

  “Why are you doing all of this?” she asked, blinking up at him, trying to keep emotion at bay. “It has nothing to do with hiring you.”

  “Of course it does,” he said. “It makes us both safer.”

  “You know what I mean,” she said. “The food. The care. And the high quality installation, when it’s going to be useful to me far longer than it is for you once you leave.”

  His blue eyes were clear and serious as he looked down at her, and a little shudder ran down her arms as he put both hands on either side of her on the fridge. She nearly flinched, but his expression was so calm and gentle.

  She didn’t know what was happening between them, but she wanted to trust it. She was glad she’d asked him what was happening, because nothing about this had felt normal since he first showed up. Sure, any protection detail would come around with her, but they wouldn’t care like he did. She felt his eyes following her every moment. Hell, her eyes followed him.

  “I just…” He blinked, and she noticed he had long eyelashes, a gorgeous contrast to his strong, sharp masculine jaw and perfectly straight nose and high brow. He was too handsome by far. “I guess something about you just makes me want to take care of you.”

  She looked into his eyes, feeling tension grow between them. She felt pressure in her own legs, and higher, and couldn’t believe the way she was responding to him. It was inappropriate, weird; it was something she wasn’t ready for yet. Or was she?

  Still, she took a deep breath and pushed forward, and he stepped immediately back.

  “Sorry,” he said, putting up his hands.

  She was breathing hard, one hand on her chest at the effect he had on her.

  “Did I scare you?” he asked, coming forward to put his hands on her arms to steady her. Electric tingles moved through her, and she jerked back, utterly shocked that any male could have that effect on her. Even her ex-husband, who had at one time been very nice, had never felt anything like that.

  She looked up at him with wide eyes, and his mouth twisted.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, taking another step back. “I’m scaring you, aren’t I?” He shoved a hand into his hair and strode to the other side of the room. “I’m trying to just be a good guy, but maybe I’m not as good as I thought I was.”

  She felt her heart pounding, her legs like jelly. Yes, he scared her, but not in the way he thought. He scared her because he might just be perfect for her. He might just be her mate.

  What else could feel like sparks every time they made eye contact?

  She bit her lip. But she wasn’t ready to tell him that. What if she was wrong? What if it was just an effect of how attractive he was? Plus, just because she made him want to care for her, it didn’t mean he was looking at her that way. Maybe it was just because he saw her as pitiful.

  No, she saw the way he looked at her sometimes, though he was trying to hide it. It wasn’t pity. At least most of the time. It was longing.

  Longing she shared.

  She swallowed as the long moment stretched between them. Then she spoke. “You didn’t scare me,” she said. “And you’re a very good man.” She crossed the room and gave him an awkward pat on the arm, regretting even that much contact as her body sizzled at the touch. “What you’ve done here means a lot. Thank you.” Then, unable to resist, she stood on her tiptoes and reached up to plant a kiss on his cheek, yanking him down.

  He stared at her in shock as she went to get her purse, rubbing his cheek thoughtfully as she suppressed a giggle.

  She had no idea what she was doing. But since things were going to be awkward anyway, she might as well allow herself a little bit of fun.

  It had been so long since she had any.

  The
rest of the morning went by quickly for Char, with a large influx of people coming and going and cases that needed attention.

  She was grateful for the distraction, though, since she wasn’t sure if she was ready to address what she’d done so impulsively back at her apartment.

  Every time Mark glanced at her from the piles of papers he was sorting and the myriad of windows he had open on his computer screen, she could feel her hairs stand on end, could feel his gaze trail along her like heat from a noonday sun.

  By the time lunch break rolled around, she was starving from the combination of busy work and her own heart beating in her chest at the mere thought of him. When she went to the fridge to grab her typical lunch fare of a yogurt and some fresh fruit, Mark stopped her and insisted on getting something a little heartier.

  A phone call and a few minutes later, some sandwiches and drinks were produced by a friendly delivery boy, and the two of them sat at her desk to eat.

  Thankfully, the office was much quieter now, with only one or two of her coworkers still floating around the place, finishing things up before they headed out to eat like the rest had.

  Leaving Char painfully aware of the fact that they were, for the most part, alone.

  She could tell what had happened this morning was on his mind, too, but he was being a gentleman about it and not pressing the issue. Which ironically only made her more nervous about it.

  But before either of them could dig in to the delicious-looking deli-laden sandwiches or drum up a conversation, Mark’s phone rang.

  Reluctantly, he withdrew his cell from his pocket, then, with a fleeting expression of surprise, stood from the stool he’d pulled to her desk.

  “Mind if I answer this? I won’t if you think I should stay here,” he asked quickly.

  “Go ahead. You can use the back office if you want privacy. I’ll just be right here. It looks like things are pretty quiet at the moment anyway. Is it all right if I start eating, though?” she asked, both grateful for the slight reprieve of having to face the resulting awkwardness of her own actions this morning and a little sad to have him leave, even for just a minute.