Bear-ly A Hero (Bear Claw Security 2) Read online

  “Something with meat,” he said.

  “So like a bear,” she quipped, making him grin.

  Damn, he wasn’t used to it, and his face fairly hurt from smiling. He needed to stop acting like a damn infatuated idiot or he’d mess up this installation.

  He turned on some music and put in headphones while he worked. Then he went to do the window in her bedroom, and when he came back, he saw the pot was on the stove with a timer, but she was no longer there.

  He wrinkled his brow, took off his headphones, and walked down the hallway to his room and the room across from it.

  He opened the door to see it was some kind of office, sparsely furnished with a small desk and chair, and she was on her laptop, typing something.

  She flipped around when he walked in, her dark curls bouncing alluringly. She slammed the laptop closed, but all it did was remind him of something.

  “Give me that,” he said. “I need to make sure no one has access to your webcam. Dammit, I should have done that sooner.”

  “Don’t curse at me,” she said, hugging the laptop to her. “And no, you can’t have it. This is private.”

  Ooh. That was interesting. “Oh really?” he said, walking forward, slipping his drill back into his tool belt. He’d put on a shirt so he wasn’t shirtless, but he liked the way her eyes moved over him, from his shoulders to his belt and lower, and the heat seemed to start in her face.

  She clutched the laptop. “You can’t look.”

  “I need to,” he said flatly. “Do you know how to look for viruses? Trojans?”

  She nodded sarcastically. “I work in IT.”

  “But I bet there are things you can’t find. I should really take a look at it.” And sure, he also wanted to know what she was trying so hard to hide.

  He took the laptop from her mercilessly, because he really did need to make sure no one had access. He sat on the windowsill and opened it up and immediately saw a window with words in it.

  He was about to close it so he could get to work when he saw the title.

  “Everlasting Love.”

  He snorted. “What’s that?”

  She grabbed the laptop back from him, eyes wide with fury… or embarrassment. He couldn’t tell. He folded his arms with a smirk.

  “You write novels?”

  “No!” she said. “Well, yes. But not professionally. It’s just in my spare time. As a hobby.”

  He grinned. “Can I read it?”

  “No,” she snapped, slamming it closed. She hit the power button, making sure it was off. “If you’re so worried about it, then there, the laptop is off.” She put it under her arm and stormed out the door, then turned back with a glare. “And you had no right to do that. You work for me, Limes, but you don’t own me.”

  He nearly laughed, and then he saw the glitter of tears in her eyes as she turned and ran from him, and he felt like a world-class ass.

  He looked at the window and set the motion sensor stuff next to it. He doubted anyone would come in through this one, and he could get to it later.

  Right now, he had to deal with the fact that he’d upset his client.

  No, that he’d upset Jamie.

  10

  “Jamie, wait,” he said, following her into the hall.

  She was already in the kitchen, and as he came around the corner, her back was to him. She was sniffling.

  “Just get out of here,” she said, waving a hand.

  He walked forward, and she turned around, extremely angry.

  “Just go!” She slammed her hands down on the oven, and Limes took a step back. “Why do men always have to just take what they want and never listen?”

  Her words froze him, pinned him to the wall. Numbly, not knowing what to say, he walked back to the office and worked on installing the sensor.

  He hadn’t meant to upset her, but now he remembered how she’d looked before he took the laptop. How upset, how angry. He should have paid more attention.

  He sat for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He was no good with taking care of people’s emotions. He hadn’t cared about it in a long time.

  “Dinner’s ready,” she called, and he could tell from her voice that she was still pissed. Still, he preferred pissed over hurt.

  And then the other words she’d said rang though him. Why do men always have to just take what they want and never listen?

  The thought made him tighten his hands into fists. Who had made her say that, as though all men were that way? It couldn’t be only the men in the office. Who else was after her? He had questions for her, but if he went barging into her life, would that make him as bad as the others?

  No, he was her protector. She’d hired him to keep her safe, and that’s what he’d have to do, even if it meant hurting some feelings. But he could try to be a little more sensitive from now on at least.

  She was already setting the food on the counter, and he took a stool, remaining quiet, afraid of another outburst.

  When she sat, ready to eat, fork in hand, he was still watching her warily. “Oh, for goodness sakes,” she said. “I’m not going to bite.”

  “I’m sorry for earlier,” he said as she served homemade beef stir-fry onto his plate.

  “It’s fine,” she said.

  “It’s not. I should have respected your boundary. I shouldn’t have opened the laptop until you felt safe in me doing so.”

  She waved a hand. “I shouldn’t have been so embarrassed. And I overreacted. I guess I’ve just been overwhelmed lately.”

  He nodded. They ate in silence for a moment, but then her words were eating at him too much to not bring it up. “What did you mean about men never listening?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said, poking at her food.

  He took another bite. “This is amazing.” He took another bite. “You’re a great cook and a great lover. I can’t believe no one has locked that down.”

  She gave him a bitter grin and took a bite of her food, chewing slowly.

  She was definitely hiding something from him.

  He turned on his stool to face her. “Look, I know we’ve gotten involved, maybe more than we should. But even just as your bodyguard, I need to know more than you’re telling me. You’re afraid of men, even seem to hate them. And the men at work, while obnoxious, don’t really explain that. You said shifters could be after you. What’s going on?”

  She sighed and rested her fork on the edge of her plate. She took a drink of her juice and faced him, a resigned expression taking over her features. Her small nose wrinkled as she thought it over. “I… had a pack.”

  “So you’re a wolf?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  He didn’t know much about wolves. Just the pack order and the Tribunals that overlooked things. “Okay. And…?”

  “And… I left them. They… abused me.”

  He heard something creak and realized he’d just bent her fork. In one hand. He saw her look down at it in shock, and he smiled apologetically. “Sorry, didn’t mean to do that.” He set it aside, trying to stop the rage hammering his heart. “What do you mean abused you?”

  “They considered me property. They wanted me to mate one of them. When I refused… they hurt me.”

  He swallowed, biting back a snarl. The bear in him wanted to come launching out to avenge her. The man in him wanted to vomit. He tried to keep both down. “How?”

  “Just physically,” she said, rubbing her arms over herself. “And they came on to me a lot. They never were able to force themselves on me, never went all the way, but…”

  “But they tried,” he said darkly, shoving away from the counter. “And that can be almost as bad.”

  She nodded. “So I never truly feel safe.” She looked up at him. “If only I were you. Big and strong and not taking shit from anyone.”

  “But you left them,” he said.

  “Right, but you’ve seen the letters, if they’re from them. They feel entitled to me. And the Tribunal, o
ur rulers, won’t do anything about it. Pack business, unless they mess with humans.”

  He growled, hating the situation, and ran his hand over his shorn hair.

  He wanted to do something about it right fucking now, but it wasn’t possible.

  “I’m sorry.” He looked at her earnestly.

  She blinked and avoided his gaze, turning back to her food.

  He walked over and sat on the couch, running his hands over his face as he tried to stay calm. He thought about her being afraid to work with him, the way she hadn’t wanted to work with Bronson or Cage at Bear Claw Security when she’d first met them.

  And all the times he’d bullied her since or made fun of her for not fighting back.

  All of it made rancor rise up inside him.

  Ugh.

  “Are you all right?” she asked from the counter, not looking at him. “Are you angry with me?”

  “No, hell no,” he exclaimed. “Nothing like that. I’m furious, yes, but at the men who hurt you. I want to hunt them down and kill them. Every one.”

  She turned to him with widened eyes, and he looked away from her. She didn’t need to see him that angry. She had enough to deal with.

  She slid off the stool and came over to him. He liked having her warmth there next to him on the couch. It was nice to know she was okay now, whatever had happened in the past. He just had to make sure nothing else could happen.

  She was braver than he’d known.

  “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he said. “I promise that.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I honestly think it’s bothering you more than it’s bothering me.” Her dark eyes were slightly amused as they studied him.

  “Well, that doesn’t make me feel any better.” He rubbed his hands together. “Look, I don’t want to be one of those men who pushes you. What happened today—”

  “Was what I wanted,” she said firmly, taking his hands in hers. “Now let’s go finish dinner, and then you can show me what you did to my house or let me help you with the rest of it.”

  He grinned. “I can do that.”

  He wasn’t going to forget what had happened to her, but he wasn’t going to dwell on it either. She was right. They should focus on what they could do now. He couldn’t go back and save her from the men that hurt her. But he could for damn sure not let them do it again.

  * * *

  Jamie was enjoying listening to Limes explain security when the doorbell rang, and she went to answer it.

  Limes looked at her with a warning glare, but she looked through the peephole and saw it was just a neighbor, Glen.

  He was a nice enough guy, if a little obnoxious in his persistence. But he was the only neighbor she really knew around here. She wasn’t interested in him and had made that clear, but he wasn’t threatening in any way. At least he hadn’t been.

  “Who is it?” Limes asked impatiently. Jamie couldn’t help noting the immense difference between the huge, tatted bad boy in her living room and poor, harmless Glen on her porch.

  “Just a neighbor who comes by sometimes,” she said, reaching for the deadbolt.

  “A woman?” Limes asked.

  “A man,” she said.

  “Wait,” Limes said. “Keep it shut. I’ve seen the kind of men you attract, and I’m not in the mood for it.”

  “Glen is sweet,” she said, enjoying the way Limes’s face tightened at that. “And harmless.”

  “Sure,” Limes said, sitting on the couch with his arms splayed along the back. “Right. Well, fine, if you want to talk to him, I can’t stop you. But I doubt any man is harmless as far as you’re concerned.”

  She gave Limes a warning gesture to stay where he was and undid the deadbolt to open the door.

  Glen had thinning, reddish hair and a tall, skinny build. And he had a bottle of wine and a plate of cookies in his hands. “Hi, Jamie. Can I come in?”

  She kept the door mostly closed. “Sorry, Glen, it’s not the best time.” She gave him a sympathetic smile. “Maybe later?”

  “Sure,” he said, trying to peer around the door. “But I was just hoping to bring you these. And come in for a moment. I haven’t been over in a while.”

  “You came just last week, Glen,” she said.

  “Did I?” he asked, a bright grin on his face. Too bright. “Well, once a week is just neighborly.” He handed her the cookies and wine and took advantage of her full hands to walk into the room.

  She looked over to see Limes had busied himself testing the motion sensors on the window.

  “Who’s that?” Glen asked, perplexed.

  She sighed. “Just a friend.”

  Glen looked mildly irritated by that, but then Limes turned around, his characteristic glare on his face, not at all friendly.

  “I’m the help,” he said, nodding at the window. “Just getting a security system in.” He pinned Glen with a glare. “In case of creeps.”

  Glen didn’t take the hint, instead taking a cookie from the plate she was holding and plopping himself on one of her stools.

  “It’s really not a good time,” she said, standing across from him at the counter.

  “When are you going to go out with me?” Glen asked impatiently, nibbling his cookies. “We’ve been neighbors for months, and I think you enjoy my company.”

  “I… You’re just not my type, Glen.”

  She heard a low rumbling from Limes’s direction and ignored it. This was just between her and a friend. It wasn’t in his purview as bodyguard. She had to reject Glen on her own.

  “How would you know if I’m your type?” Glen asked, reaching across the counter to take her hand. “We haven’t even kissed.” He was so much smaller than Limes but still taller than her. He jerked her forward.

  She groaned inwardly. She was going to have to hurt feelings. She hated that. “Glen…” She tried to pull back . “Glen, I’m just not…”

  But he pulled her forward over the counter, leaning in himself, his eyes closed as if he expected them to kiss. She winced and leaned back, wondering what to do next as he pulled her in. Was this deserving of a slap? A hard set-down? Ugh, why did men have to be so aggressive?

  And then she was tugged back out of Glen’s grip and against a hard, solid warm chest. She felt Limes’s huge arms band around her, saw Glen go pale as he looked up at the man behind her.

  “It’s time for you to go,” Limes said in a deep voice.

  Glen frowned. “You said… he was a friend.”

  “I…”

  “She said you were a friend, too,” Limes said. “But you aren’t acting like one. Now get out before I show you just how unfriendly I can be.”

  She shuddered slightly at that, both from how intimidating it was and how hot it was, and was relieved when Glen sent her a frightened glare and then took his plate and wine and left.

  When he was gone, Limes released her to go and shut the door after him.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she said, folding her arms. “I was going to handle it.”

  “Oh, you were?” Limes asked, approaching her with a dark expression, backing her up until he pinned her against the fridge.

  “Yes, I was,” she said. “I was just trying to think what he deserved.”

  “It’s not about what he deserved. It’s about what you wanted or didn’t want.” Limes sighed, and his green eyes were calm as they looked into hers. “You deserve to do whatever you need to in order to stop people from doing things you don’t want.”

  She looked up at him, feeling shy and embarrassed after what had just happened. “But what if I can’t?” she asked. “What if I’m not strong enough?”

  He pulled her against his chest, holding her to him and letting her rest her head on his reassuring shoulder. “That’s what I’m here for.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “But you won’t be here forever.”

  He was quiet at that. “I need to teach you to fight back.”

  She bit her lip.
“How?”

  “There are things I can teach you. We’ll do it… before I go.”

  There he went, talking about going again. She looked up at him. “So this thing between us, does it end when it’s over? Is it just sex?”

  “No,” he said, stroking her hair back behind her ear, looking more tender than she could ever expect a man that hard to look. “There’s more to this.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “But there’s more.”

  She pulled back to run her hands down his chest, over his abs, to play with his belt with the tips of her fingers. She loved the feel of his body, already craved him again.

  “Is there more I can have now?” she asked coyly. Her body was craving him, her wolf howling for more every time he stood up for her, every time he was kind to her, every time he looked at her or touched her.

  No one had ever affected her like this, and she was afraid to tell him that because of the power it would give him over her.

  “Of course,” he said, holding her close. “I’ll give you all the ‘more’ you can take.”

  Then he bent to take her lips in a kiss.

  11

  Unlike the harsh, sexy coming together they’d had earlier that day, this kiss was urgent and gentle, his lips soft against her as his hard hands stroked over the planes of her back and found her waist, kneading the softness there.

  She moaned and nearly sagged in his arms, but he put an arm around her, holding her up completely as his hand came down between them.

  She gasped as he covered her between her legs, right over her soft pajamas. She looked up at him and saw searing heat in his bright-green eyes, which darkened as his lashes lowered.

  “Limes,” she said, writhing against his hand. “More.”

  He rubbed lightly over her folds, finding her clit even through the soft fabric covering her. She could still feel his rough touch as if he were right against her, yet she needed more. She moaned as he dug in, and she put her hands down to pull on the waistband of her pajama pants. He took the hint and helped her wriggle out of them, pulling off her robe and her top and carrying her over to the couch. She was glad the shades were pulled down.