Beary Overdue (Polar Bliss 1)

by Ruby Shae

  His hands moved to her waist, and his mouth crashed down on hers in a desperate, bruising kiss. She slid her palms up his hard chest, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His tongue slid across her lips and she opened for him, desperate to taste him again.

  In the past, he’d tasted sweet and minty, like a Polar Kiss, but now he just tasted sterile. It wasn’t liquor, toothpaste or a breath mint…it wasn’t anything. It was as if he’d completely rid himself of anything good, and she suddenly remembered the plethora of women surrounding him all week.

  How many times had he had sex since she’d left?

  Hundreds?

  She’d been in town less than a week and he’d been with a different woman every time they’d crossed paths. Had he had sex with them all? The thought of him with all of those women made her sick to her stomach. He hadn’t owed her anything, but the truth still hurt.

  He pulled her sweatshirt over her head, and she tried to cross her arms over her ample breasts, but he pinned her wrists to the wall with his hands. Despite her sudden lack of confidence, she let out a sigh when he kissed a trail down her chin and neck, but her pleasure was short lived.

  A lock of his hair fell into her mouth, and her face burned from his wild, scratchy beard. When his hands let go of her wrists and grabbed her soft, tank top covered breasts, she didn’t feel anything but disgust.

  “We have to stop,” she said, pushing on his shoulders as he licked her collarbone. She’d meant to sound firm, but the words had come out in a whisper.

  Damn!

  His amazing tongue had always driven her wild.

  He grabbed the flesh at the base of her neck between his teeth, and she cried out, desperate for more.

  Until she remembered his past.

  “No,” she said, pushing on his shoulders again. “Reid, stop.”

  “What? Why?” he asked, taking a step back.

  “How many women have you slept with this week? Or today?” she asked, not wanting the answer. “It’s too late for us.”

  “It’s not too late,” he said. “Those women meant nothing to me.”

  “It’s not just the women,” she said. “It’s everything… It’s you.”

  “Honeypie—”

  “Please don’t call me that,” she pleaded.

  “Jillian,” he started again. “When a shifter loses his mate, his world ends. I nearly died when you left town. I know I’ve made some mistakes, but everything I’ve done has been to try and stay alive.”

  “No,” she said firmly. “You haven’t been merely staying alive all of these years. You’ve been breeding anger and resentment to try and prove something, but the only thing you’ve proved is the Reid I loved is long gone.”

  “That’s not true,” he said. “I’m still the same man.”

  “The bar, the fights, the women, the drinking,” she said, ticking the things off her fingers. “You think those things make you look cool, or successful, and maybe they do to some, but to the people who love you? They only make you look like an asshole. You’ve pulled away from your family, you treat your employees like shit, and Riley told me what you did to her in Polar Bliss. I could forgive the hair and beard if you resembled my Reid at all, but unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it. When was the last time you shifted?”

  His answering glare told her everything she needed to know. He hadn’t. Not in a long time.

  “That’s what I thought,” she said, sadly.

  His throat worked, as if searching for the right response, but silence stretched between them as they seemed to face-off against each other.

  Finally, his face softened in defeat.

  “I’d better go,” he said, turning to leave.

  “I would have stayed, you know,” she said behind him. “If the Reid from seven years ago had asked me to say, I would have stayed and considered myself the luckiest girl in the world.”

  He nodded once and left the room, without looking back. When the door clicked quietly behind him, she knew she would never see him again, and tears streamed down her face.

  The urge to chase after him and take it all back was strong, but she ignored it and said a silent goodbye to the only man she’d ever loved.

  Chapter Six

  One month later…

  Reid walked to the edge of town in his bear form, stood on a snow mound hidden between the trees, and shook out his fur. The Dirty Bear was on the other side of the road, and though it was the middle of the day, he noted two cars in the parking lot. He’d completely disappeared for a little over a month, but Hayden and Hayley had kept his business going.

  He remembered back to five years ago when the two ginger-haired siblings had arrived in town and answered his ad for help. Their past was a mystery, but that hadn’t mattered. They were polar bear shifters, like his family, and they’d needed a break. A lot had changed since then.

  He’d trusted Hayden almost immediately, and while Jillian had been right—he had treated the male, and his sister, like shit—they’d formed a strange friendship. Hayden had disagreed with most of his choices, but the man had stuck by him even when he hadn’t warranted it.

  Hayden and Hayley deserved something better…and so did he.

  Four weeks ago, when he’d walked out of Jillian’s motel room, he’d been swamped with emotion. Anger, pain, and regret had been at the forefront, but there was more. He’d longed for love, happiness and kindness—for the good man he once was—and he’d needed them from his family and friends, as well as his mate.

  The multitude of emotions had nearly sent him over the edge, and he might have done something stupid if it hadn’t been for his bear. For the first time in seven years, he listened to his animal and shifted.

  He left his car in the motel parking lot and walked into the woods. He walked until his legs would no longer carry him, and then he collapsed and allowed his animal to take over.

  Shifter magic allowed him to shift with his clothes on, and he liked that he didn’t have to worry about his wallet or keys. His personal effects would stay with him during the change, and when he was ready to go home, he would be fully dressed.

  Once the change was complete, his bear had roared in victory and immediately covered himself in snow. The playful rolling, burrowing, and overall joy was hard to ignore, and the full effect of his neglect had slammed into him full force. He’d not only been a shit to his mate, family and employees, but he’d been a dick to his bear, the very best part of him.

  His bear ran with abandon, and Reid didn’t try to stop him. His large paws ate up miles of the snow covered terrain, and he realized the animal had been right all along. The change had brought him peace.

  He’d missed his animal and the desire to shift back into his human form fled the longer he’d stayed a bear. Unfortunately, he couldn’t have one without the other, and the animal forced him to roam back home.

  As civilization neared, so did clarity and understanding.

  It was too late to change the past, but the future stretched out in front of him. A few changes, and he’d gain back most of what he’d lost.

  Only then could he try and win back his mate.

  He made sure he was hidden, shifted back into his human form, and walked across the street to The Dirty Bear. A gust of wind hollered through the parking lot, and he realized his hair and beard had grown longer. He would take care of them soon, but there was something more important he had to do first.

  He opened the metal door to his bar and stepped inside the building. Voices were coming from the storage room, and he listened a minute before crossing the room to find his employees.

  “Hayden, I know you feel indebted to him, but this is too much,” Hayley said. “What if he never comes back? This isn’t our responsibility.”

  “Look, I understand your concern,” Hayden said, “but he’ll be back. Until then, Ryker knows what’s going on, and all of the bills are getting paid. I don’t feel right about giving up on him. Not yet.”


  “You’re too giving,” Hayley said. “He wouldn’t do the same for you.”

  “No I wouldn’t,” Reid chimed in.

  “Reid!” They both said his name in unison.

  “Where have you been?” Hayley asked.

  “You look like shit, man,” Hayden chimed in.

  “I’ll explain everything, soon,” Reid said, “but not right now. Hayden, if you don’t mind running things for one more night, I’d like to meet with you tomorrow to discuss some changes I’d like to implement.”

  “Sure,” Hayden said. “What time?”

  “Be here at one,” Reid said. “I’ll bring lunch.”

  His next stop was his apartment, and then the barber.

  A few hours later, he stood on the steps of his family home holding a bouquet of pink carnations tied with a matching ribbon. When Ryker opened the door, he swallowed hard and prepared to grovel.

  “Hi, can I come in?” he asked.

  Ryker nodded once, stepped back and pulled the door open.

  He walked into the dining room and found Riley, Ridge and Jane sitting at the dinner table. Ridge stood, but his sister and Jane stayed seated.

  “I’m not here to cause trouble,” Reid said. “I’m here to apologize. To all of you, but especially Riley.”

  He held the flowers out to his sister.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, stepping further inside the room. Ryker joined them in the doorway behind him. “For everything, but mostly for what I did to you in Polar Bliss. I know I hurt you, and I promise it will never happen again.”

  “Where have you been?” Ryker asked. “Jillian told us you went to her motel room in the middle of the night, and then you were gone. You missed Fred’s viewing.”

  “I know,” he said simply, “but I doubt she wanted me there anyway. She told me exactly what she thought of me, and though it was ugly, it forced me to face the truth. After I left her room, I shifted and I’ve been running ever since.”

  “Does Hayden know you’re back?” Ridge asked.

  “Yes, I talked to him earlier today, and we have a meeting to discuss business tomorrow.”

  Everyone looked at Riley, and waited for her decision.

  “I’m glad you shaved and cut your hair,” Riley said quietly.

  “Me too,” Reid said. “I’ve missed you, sis.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  Riley got up, rounded the dinner table, and gave him a huge hug.

  After that, he received a hug from Ridge, Jane, and finally Ryker.

  “I’d like to come back,” Reid said to his oldest brother. “I don’t want to live here permanently, because I’m going to try and get Jillian back, but I’d like to be part of Polar Bliss again if I can convince her to move back here with me.”

  “It’s about time,” Ryker said. “Now how are you going to get that girl?”

  After he admitted to not asking Jillian to stay, which his family had already figured out, he explained his plans, including the changes he had in mind for The Dirty Bear. His siblings agreed to help in any way possible—including keeping his transformation a secret from his mate.

  ***

  One more month later…

  Jillian walked to her apartment slowly, her horrible date on her heels. She’d already thanked the man for dinner, turned down his request to spend the night, and said goodbye, but he’d followed her to her door anyway.

  She had a feeling getting rid of him wouldn’t be easy, and she racked her brain for a way to escape. If he decided to force his way into her apartment, she wouldn’t be able to stop him, and the possible outcome made her stomach churn.

  It had been two months since she’d returned from Longmeadow, and in an effort to finally move on and forget about Reid once and for all, she’d lowered her standards and started dating more often. Sadly, the only result had been meeting jerks more frequently. In fact, it seemed as if she’d become some kind of loser magnet.

  Her date was a perfect example.

  Dinner had consisted of fat jokes and rude comments about her size, and then later, when she’d denied his request to park somewhere and make-out, he’d pouted and begrudgingly driven her home. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t leave her alone.

  “Well, this is it,” she said, stopping a few feet away from her apartment door. “Goodnight.”

  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked.

  “No,” she said simply.

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled, causing her to stumble toward him. He was strong, stronger than he looked, and he held her wrist in a bruising grip as he spoke.

  “Listen you little fat bitch,” he sneered. “I didn’t go broke buying you dinner so you could say goodnight without paying me back. I want my dick sucked hard, and if you’re a good girl, I might let you swallow instead of exploding all over your face.”

  “Let. Her. Go.”

  The booming words were followed by a fierce growl, and a second later, Reid stepped out from the shadows.

  Reid!

  Reid was here, in her town, and he looked amazing.

  He’d shaved, cut his blue-black hair in a short, sexy cut, and even though his face was a mask of anger, she could see that the tired stress lines she’d noticed two months ago were gone. His dark brown eyes still looked black, but she had a feeling it was because they were focused on her date, and the fact that he still hadn’t let her go.

  “Mind your own business,” her date called over his shoulder.

  Anyone with half a brain would have let her go when the primal growl had filled the air, but her date was obviously clueless.

  Reid walked up to them and wrapped his fingers around the man’s wrist. Slowly, he tightened his grip until the man let go of her and dropped to his knees.

  “She is my business,” Reid growled again. “Apologize.”

  “I’m sorry,” the man said.

  “Louder,” Reid barked.

  “I’m sorry,” the man yelled.

  “Good,” Reid said, dropping his arm. “Now get the fuck out of here, and don’t come back. If I see you around here again, or anywhere near my woman, next time I won’t be so nice.”

  My woman!

  The words shouldn’t have sent her heart racing, she’d already said goodbye, but his appearance had changed. Had he made other changes? Was he going to try and win her back? Did she want him to?

  Duh!

  Of course she did. But had he changed enough? Could she forgive him—or his past—if he had?

  They both watched as her date hurried back to the parking lot, and then Reid turned to face her.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi,” she returned. “Thank you for saving me. I was frightened.”

  He raised his arm, as if to embrace her, and then dropped it quickly.

  “What were you doing with him anyway?”

  “Trying to get over you.”

  The words slipped out, and her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

  Reid’s eyes flashed, and a blast of heat raced to her core. Seven years ago, it had always been like that with them. If she hadn’t been sure before, now there was no denying he’d connected with his animal again.

  “How’s that going?” he teased.

  “Not so good,” she laughed.

  “We need to talk,” he said, his voice void of all humor, “and your wrist is going to bruise if we don’t get some ice on it. Can I come in?”

  She nodded, and he extended his hand for her keys.

  Without a thought, she dropped them into his palm, and then he opened the door and allowed her to precede him into the apartment.

  Reid looked around appreciatively, and she smiled. The place wasn’t much, but it was roomy and comfortable, and the part of her that still cared what he thought was glad he liked it.

  He followed her into the kitchen and grabbed the towel out of her hands.

  “Sit,” he said, opening the freezer.

  She took a seat at the tiny bistro table and waite
d while he prepared her ice pack. After he gently wrapped her wrist in the cold protection, he sat across from her and cleared his throat.

  “You were right about me,” he started. “I was convinced you left me because you wanted to leave, and I latched onto my anger and didn’t let go. At the time, I honestly believed I was somehow winning. I was combating my loss with my own twisted version of success in order to prove I hadn’t cracked, but instead, I became something disgraceful.”

  “After I left your motel room,” he continued, “I shifted and ran. I stayed in my bear form for over a month, and at one point, I thought I might never come back. But then I remembered you, and Riley, and my brothers and Hayden and Hayley, and I realized I still had a chance to make things right. I know I’ve made some mistakes, but if you can give me another chance, I promise you won’t regret it.”

  She believed him immediately, but she knew she shouldn’t. Words were easy to say, but actions sometimes told a different story. She needed time.

  “I—”

  “Before you answer, hear me out. I’m not suggesting we rush into anything. I’m proposing we start dating again. I’m staying in town indefinitely, and we can go as slow or fast as you’d like.”

  “You’re staying here indefinitely?” she doubted. “You can’t do that.”

  “Yes, I can, honeypie,” he smiled. “I know you have to finish out the school year, and if you decide to stay on for next year, I’ll still be here.”

  “How can you do that? What about the bar?”

  “The bar is no more. I gave half of the business to Hayden, and I’m now a very silent partner in a new sports bar and grill called, The Bear’s Den. It’s being renovated right now, but they should open in about a month. Hayley will stay on staff, and they’re going to hire two more employees to help out.”

  “Wow,” she said, stunned.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I wanted to get rid of anything toxic, but also make sure we were secure, and this seemed like the best way. Hayden has a really good business sense, and a lot of good ideas, so I’m confident we’re in good hands. I also asked Ryker if I could come back, and if we move back to Longmeadow, then I have a job at Polar Bliss, too.”