Bear Security: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance Page 3

  Six months ago he hadn’t known how perfect they fit together, and he’d still craved her after she left. Now that he had the memories of her touch, he wasn’t sure he would survive when she left him again.

  Chapter Three

  Rebecca woke early Sunday morning and looked at Logan sleeping on the opposite side of the bed. The space between them seemed monumental, and she desperately wanted to close the gap and press her body against his.

  Unfortunately, he’d been distant since they woke the day before, the night after they made love, and she’d been surprised he hadn’t sent her to the guest room to sleep alone.

  Disappointment filled her as she thought about the previous day.

  The smell of bacon had lured her out of a deep sleep, and she stretched her tired, achy muscles. She hadn’t had sex in a long time before she’d met Logan, and not at all after. Even though she was stiff, the pain made her giddy, and she desperately wanted to make love to him again.

  She’d donned one of his t-shirts and walked into the kitchen at the same time he glided an omelet out of a pan and onto a plate. Her stomach growled, and he pushed the plate toward her. His smile was courteous, but not sincere or sexy.

  She approached him to kiss his lips, but he didn’t make an effort to lean toward her, or return the favor, and she ended up kissing his chin instead.

  “Thank you for the omelet,” she whispered.

  She sat down at the island and proceeded to eat her food.

  Later, he’d informed her he would be gone most of the day, and she was confined to the house. He’d placed Mason back on patrol, and allowed Layla to bring her lunch and stay for an extended visit. They’d bonded over coffee and a kick-ass movie about Dracula.

  Jacob dropped off her dinner in the evening, and Logan hadn’t returned until right before bed.

  Upon his arrival she’d hugged him, but instead of returning the gesture, he’d grasped her biceps and taken a step back out of her grasp. In the same authoritative voice he used on his team, he relayed important information while he made a sandwich, and then they sat in silence as he ate. When they’d laid down on the bed, he’d turned his back toward her and permanently shut her out.

  When he’d confessed his love the night before, she’d hoped it meant he’d give her a second chance, not broaden the distance between them. The reality of the situation had been hard to bear, and she’d fallen asleep with tears in her eyes and a heavy heart.

  She knew he wouldn’t throw her to the wolves—or cats as it may be—but she’d obviously inconvenienced him, and she wanted to go home. Even though she didn’t own the place, he’d installed a home security system on her apartment, returned her rental, and fixed the windows on her car.

  All of his actions proved he wanted her to leave as soon as possible, and because he’d already killed and captured the men chasing her, he’d kept his promise and protected her.

  She had no reason to stay.

  She slid out of bed as quietly as possible, and grabbed the bag of clothes he’d brought with him from her apartment. If she knew the alarm code to his home, or her own, she’d walk out the door and never look back. Unfortunately, she had to wait for him to release her.

  Thirty minutes later, she stood in the kitchen hovering over a skillet filled with eggs, meat and cheese. As much as she loved omelets, a scramble was easier to prepare for more than one person. She knew Logan would smell the food and show up sooner or later.

  She hadn’t been wrong.

  As soon as she set the plates on the table, he wandered into the room. The t-shirt he wore was looser than the one he’d had on when she’d showed up on his doorstep two days ago, but it did nothing to hide his massive chest and bulging biceps.

  She wanted to outline every muscle with her tongue, and she held onto the counter to fight the urge to run into his arms. After last night, she knew any form of affection was out of the question.

  “This looks great,” he said, sitting down at the table. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said.

  Once again they ate in silence, and she cleared her throat several times in an effort to gain the courage to voice her request.

  She should have known he’d suspect something amiss.

  “What’s on your mind, Rebecca?” he asked, exasperated.

  Damn! She hated it when he used her full name.

  “I’d like to go home today,” she said.

  He looked up from his plate, studied her for a few seconds, and then continued eating.

  “No,” he said in between bites.

  “What do you mean, no?”

  “No, you can’t go home today,” he repeated.

  “Why not?” she asked, incredulous.

  “Because you need protection, and it’s my job to protect you.”

  “It’s not your job to protect me. I—”

  “First of all,” he scolded, “yes, it is my job to protect you. Second, it’s not safe for you to go home until we find out what we’re up against. My clan leader is meeting with the panther leader tomorrow. We’ll find out his reaction to your attack, and to the murder you witnessed, and learn his intentions. Only then can we discuss whether or not you can go home.”

  “I am going home,” she challenged.

  “Maybe,” he answered nonchalantly, “but not today.”

  “I’m not a prisoner, Logan,” she softened her voice. “You can’t keep me here, locked up all day. I’d like to go home, and I’m sure you’d like to get your life back.”

  His face hardened and his steel gray eyes darkened. A muscle in his jaw ticked, and she knew she’d angered him, but she didn’t know why. They were both unhappy. The suggestion to go home had been to unburden him of her presence.

  “How about if you spend a few hours at Java Corner?” he proposed. “Layla will be there, as will Mason and Jacob, but you can people watch from inside the shop and have all the coffee and cookies you want.”

  It wasn’t complete freedom, but it was a start.

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  ***

  Logan took one last look at Becca through the window of the coffee shop, and merged into the light traffic in the center of town. The feeling of something terrible happening to her plagued him, but unlike their month-long courtship, her presence over the last few days seemed to make all of his emotions go haywire.

  He didn’t know if it was because they’d finally slept together, or because they hadn’t slept together again, but insanity seemed next on his horizon.

  As the distance between them grew, his heart ached. If it hurt so much to leave her for a couple of hours, how would he survive when it was safe for her to return home? He didn’t want to let her go, but he couldn’t force her to stay, and she wanted to leave.

  The previous day, he’d kept his distance and left her alone in an effort to guard his heart. Giving into his desire one time had been a mistake, and he didn’t trust himself not to try and seduce her again. His dick had been in a semi-hard state since she appeared on his doorstep, and he desperately wanted to strip off her clothes and spend the day fucking her in every room of the house.

  God damn! Get a grip man!

  He needed to tend to his errands and get back to Becca, but he had to release some tension or he’d go crazy. He wanted to spend the day sliding in and out of his mate’s perfect pussy, or kill the perpetrator that had a hand in trying to harm her.

  Neither were viable options.

  He’d already interrogated the suspect, and as Lead Enforcer it was his job to protect the clan. He’d been within his rights to kill the cat that had tried to break into his home, but he hadn’t seen the other man commit a crime, and therefore had no right to kill him.

  Nor did anyone else.

  Delivering him back to his alpha would help maintain the newly discovered peace between the bears and the cats, or it would reveal the cats to be traitors and murderers of innocents. Either way, the meeting the following day needed to happen.
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  Despite the warnings from his alpha, he maneuvered his SUV toward the gym. Pumping iron and hitting the heavy bag for thirty minutes ought to take the edge off and help him relax.

  An hour later, he returned to Becca’s apartment to check the progress of the outside video cameras he’d told his men to install, and then he stopped in his office to check on his private security accounts.

  As he sifted through his email, he received a call from one of the men assigned to watch the prisoner for the second rotation of the day.

  “Price,” he answered on the first ring.

  “It’s Sloan. Wagner is out cold and the prisoner has escaped.”

  Shit!

  “Where’s Montgomery?” he barked.

  “I don’t know, I just got here.”

  “Get Wagner the help he needs and secure the premises,” he said, shutting down his computer. “Then try to locate Montgomery. If you find him, don’t let him out of your sight.”

  Logan hung up, pressed the button to call Jacob and ran to his vehicle. The man didn’t answer and he tried the call again as he sped through town toward his sister’s café.

  He received an incoming call from Layla at the same time he reached Jacob’s voicemail for the second time.

  “What’s going on?” he barked.

  “You need to get over here. Now,” Layla demanded. “They got to her, Logan. I don’t know how, but they got to her. I’ve called a healer, but it’s bad. We’re upstairs.”

  “I’ll be there in five,” he said, and ended the call.

  Please let her be okay. Please let her be okay.

  He could live without her if he had to, but he’d never survive if his mate died in his arms.

  ***

  Logan arrived at his sister’s shop four minutes later and parked in the back, next to the stairs that led up to her apartment. He traveled up the flight of steps two at a time and came face to face with Jacob.

  The man had unshed tears in his eyes and Logan felt as if he’d been staked through the heart. Jacob had been his best friend for nearly twenty years and he’d never seen the man cry a single tear.

  “The cat escaped,” Logan said, in full business mode. “Send a message to the group and attach his picture, then alert the alpha. Also, contact Sloan and see if he’s located Montgomery. If not, consider him missing and a personal threat. Alert everyone to keep their eyes posted and report back if he contacts them.”

  “Consider it done,” Jacob said, already typing the message.

  Logan entered his sister’s apartment and located Layla, Mason, the healer and Becca in his sister’s bedroom. Becca lay on the bed unconscious as the healer chanted and moved her hands in the air six inches above his mate’s body. She did several patterns, and he watched helplessly as Becca’s body twitched randomly.

  Layla approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  Mason stood by the window, his face etched with worry, and Logan couldn’t help the low growl that escaped. The man closed his eyes and lowered his head, admitting defeat and submission. He would be punished for his failure.

  “Oh, Logan,” Layla cried into his shirt. “I’m so sorry.”

  “What happened?” he whispered.

  “One minute we were all standing at the counter laughing, and the next…she was convulsing on the floor.”

  “Poison,” he stated.

  “We think so,” Layla agreed. “I’ve never seen such a bad reaction, though. The guys could barely get a good enough hold on her to bring her here.”

  The healer shushed them and continued her chants.

  Jacob reentered the house and Logan pushed his sister away, stomped across the room, and slammed his friend against the wall. He pushed his massive forearm against the man’s windpipe and leaned on him with all of his weight. Jacob wasn’t a small man, they were equally matched in height, but Logan had more muscle.

  “This is your fault,” Logan roared. “I trusted you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jacob wheezed.

  His face turned red, and he dropped the cell-phone he’d been holding when he’d reentered the apartment, but he didn’t fight back.

  “Logan!” Layla yelled. “Let him go. It’s not his fault.”

  She tried to push him off his friend, but he wouldn’t budge. Jacob needed to pay for endangering his mate. Mason approached him from behind and tried to pull him off Jacob, but he whipped his head back and broke the man’s nose.

  Blood splattered from behind him onto Layla’s cheek and he snapped out of his rage.

  He released Jacob and he man bent over, gasping for air. He and Layla rubbed the man’s back and he turned and apologized to Mason. The man clapped him on the shoulder and disappeared into the bathroom.

  Jacob continued to suck in big gulps of air as his body healed his bruised neck. When he could breathe closer to normal, he faced Logan toe to toe.

  “I take full responsibility for what happened here today,” Jacob said. “I let my guard down, and allowed harm to come to your mate. I fully regret my actions and I accept any punishment you deem worthy.”

  “I might lose her,” Logan whispered.

  “I know,” Jacob whispered back. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I don’t really blame you,” Logan said, turning toward the window. “It’s just…”

  “Terrifying to think of losing her,” Jacob finished.

  “Yes,” Logan agreed, looking back at him. “Are we cool?”

  “Always.”

  They all went back into the bedroom to watch the woman work. Several minutes later, she stood and spoke to him directly.

  “Are you her mate?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he answered, “but I haven’t changed her and we haven’t completed the ritual.”

  “Obviously, dear,” she chastised lovingly. “If you had, we wouldn’t be here right now. The infection is powerful, more powerful than anything I’ve ever seen, and it spread through her body swiftly. You have to change her now, or watch her die. My bonds will only hold for fifteen minutes, so make your choice quickly. Once you start the process, she’ll stabilize and you can take her home until she fully recovers. That should take about three days. Make sure you bring her to me then, or call me if it takes longer.”

  “Thank you, I will.”

  The woman left and Logan stared at Becca’s unconscious body on the bed.

  When he’d told her about his bear, she’d run and didn’t come back until she’d needed his protection. After they’d made love, she’d expressed her desire to return home as soon as possible. She knew nothing about shifters, and possibly hated bears, but he couldn’t let her die.

  “She’s going to hate me,” he whispered to no one in particular.

  “No she won’t, she loves you,” Layla said. “We’ll give you some privacy.”

  The two men filed out of the room and his sister followed, closing the door behind her.

  He stared at his mate and watched the random twitches her body made as the clock ticked on. He only had a few minutes left to act, and he needed to get on with it.

  He kneeled on the floor next to the bed and pushed up her shirt sleeve. Both sets of his canines elongated and he clamped down on her upper arm, releasing the enzyme that would change her into a bear shifter.

  Becca released a tiny moan, and then her body visibly relaxed. It was as if a weight had been lifted, and she sank further into the comforter covering the mattress. The twitching stopped and he could see her chest moving air again. The clock ticked past the fifteen minute mark and her steady, deep breaths indicated the process had begun.

  Only time would tell her reaction to his choice. In three days, he would discover if she hated him for turning her into a monster, or thanked him for saving her life.

  He reentered the living room and prepared to take her home.

  Chapter Four

  Laughter filled the air and Rebecca stood back and watched the four people standing around the counter in the coffee house. She
wanted to join them, but they seemed so far away. Every time she took a step toward them, it was as if she hadn’t moved an inch.

  The two men were big, muscular and handsome, but they weren’t her bear.

  “Logan!”

  She cried out for him, but the only sound that filled the air was the laughter from the group. The woman behind the counter was tall, thin, and beautiful. Rebecca recognized her as a friend, though she didn’t know her name.

  “Logan!”

  She yelled his name again, but he didn’t come for her. Why didn’t he come?

  The second woman at the counter was shorter than the others, and had more curves than most women. Her body type seemed familiar, and she liked the way the woman rocked her outfit.

  Suddenly, the woman turned to grab her coffee and Rebecca saw herself.

  She screamed at the woman to leave the drink, but her warnings went unheard. The woman picked up the cup and took a swallow of the warm brew. Seconds later, she fell to the floor and her body thrashed around wildly.

  The men tried to restrain her while the woman shouted directions to her staff and made a phone call. The room fell silent as she watched the men carry her to the back of the building.

  “Logan!”

  She yelled his name again, and then screamed when she saw a bear running toward her. He crashed through the coffee shop window and bit down on her arm.

  The room went black as the pain was instantly replaced by pleasure, and she slumped against the animal.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “I love you, too,” the bear growled back.

  Rebecca gasped and opened her eyes.

  She recognized the darkened room immediately, and looked around for Logan.

  She located him sleeping on the other side of the bed. He rested on his back, fully dressed on top of the covers, and his arms were crossed across his chest. His hair looked wild, but the jeans and belt he wore seemed incredibly uncomfortable, and she wondered why he hadn’t taken off all of his clothes.