Billionaire Bear Brotherhood Box Set

by Lily Cahill

  Alex's mouth twisted. "I don't like the idea of having to answer to a bunch of rich jerks--present company excluded, Caleb."

  "Thanks," he said dryly.

  "But this is once-in-a-lifetime research," Alex continued. "We have so much to do!"

  Kam chuckled. "You are going to be laid up in a hospital bed for the next week."

  Alex groaned. "I can't believe this. I finally get over West Nile, and now I slip in some mud and break my ankle. Not to mention getting attacked by coyotes."

  "I'm so glad you're okay," Kam said, wrapping Alex in her arms. "I was so worried about you."

  "I think the medics are here," Caleb said, seeing flashlights bobbing in the distance. "I think I'll go meet them."

  Alex looked up at him, tears staining her face. "Thank you, Caleb. For everything."

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kamilah

  Kam still felt a little weepy as she watched Alex being carried off on a stretcher. Marley was trotting along at Alex's side, no doubt berating her for hiking alone without telling him where she was going. Kam knew he would cluck over Alex like a mother hen until she was better.

  "I guess we should get back as well," Caleb said, slipping an arm around her shoulder.

  Kam turned into him, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you."

  He laughed softly, rubbing his hands up and down her back. "You already said that."

  "I can't believe you told Alex. What if B3 finds out?"

  "They won't. She won't tell anyone, we won't tell anyone ... it'll be fine. I couldn't make you lie to her," he said, brushing his fingers through her tangled hair.

  "Thank you."

  "You don't have to keep thanking me."

  "I'm going to keep saying it," she said softly. "Every day, as long as we're together."

  His hands stilled. "Do you mean--"

  "I have to ask you something," she said. Getting the words out felt like tearing something precious from her heart. "Do you want to marry me because you think we're fated to be together?"

  "Yes."

  Disappointment rushed through her. "Oh."

  He tipped up her chin. "What did I say wrong?"

  She bit her lip. Fresh tears were brimming in her eyes. "It's just ... it seems like you don't have any choice in the matter. Like you're stuck with me."

  Affection warmed his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Professor, you may be a genius, but you're being a dummy about this."

  "Can you be serious, please?" She felt like her insides were shaking. "I want to be with you, but I don't understand how you feel about me."

  "How do I feel?" he asked incredulously. "Kam, I told you. You're my mate."

  "What does that mean?" she cried, pushing away from him. Her emotions felt scraped raw, but she had to see this through. "You make it sound like some external force determined that I'm the right one for you. But if you had a choice, Caleb, would you want me?"

  "Kamilah," he said, his voice husky with emotion, "from the moment I met you, I knew I would never want anyone else."

  "Caleb, I love you."

  His tired face bloomed with delight. "You do?"

  She felt like her heart was cracking open. "Do you love me?"

  The tenderness in his eyes all but undid her. "Of course I do. I told you, you're my mate. It comes with the package."

  "I need to hear you say it."

  He framed her face in his hands. "Kamilah, I love you. I've never loved anyone before, and I'll never love anyone else."

  The air rushed out of her lungs. "Okay. Maybe it's just semantics, but I need to know that your fate is also your choice."

  "Call it whatever you want," Caleb said, drawing her close. "You're the one I want. Always."

  Kam sighed, finally feeling safe in his arms. "Always."

  Part Four: Secretly Needed

  Chapter One

  Liam

  Liam Bowen stalked through the woods, nosing at trees and brush, using his four muscular limbs to bound up the rocky hills. The air out here was fresh, and breathing it in made him feel alive. He was in his bear form, his legs strong and powerful, making the difficult hike easy. He laid down on a plateau of grass, turning his face up to the sun, and closed his eyes. He was enjoying the blanket of warmth and the easy quiet when a piercing scream tore through the air.

  Instantly, Liam was on alert, his ears perking to follow the distress sound. He had thought he was all alone. This part of the woods was remote and rarely had hikers or townsfolk coming through. That was exactly why he had chosen to build his cabin out here. It was the rawest wilderness he could find. But that scream was human. He lifted his nose into the air, sniffing for the scent of someone else on the wind. The faintest essence wafted into his nostril, a completely different kind of freshness than the wilderness. It smelled comforting and familiar--fresh laundry. And it was coming from downhill.

  He hesitated, unsure if he should go. He couldn't scale down the mountain as quickly in his human form, but if he encountered the injured person on the trail as a bear, it could get ugly. Whoever was out there might act rashly and injure themselves further. Or worse, if they were carrying a gun, they just might shoot. But Liam had spent enough time in the wilderness to know time was of the essence. Another frightened cry echoed around him, and he started to move. He'd stay as a bear as long as he could.

  Liam picked his way carefully down the mountain, following his nose. Intermittently he heard whimpering sounds, confirming his suspicion that whoever was out there was definitely in distress. He moved closer to the sound, choosing his route carefully. The scattered dirt underfoot was becoming more solidly rock. He couldn't find the source of the noise yet through the rock outcroppings and thick trees, and his nerves frayed. He couldn't be spotted, not if he wanted to keep his wilderness sanctuary to himself. Being sure to conceal himself behind a boulder, Liam shifted into human form, brushing the dirt off his clothes before continuing on.

  "Hello," he cried out, announcing his presence.

  "Hello?" A soft female voice yelled back, timid and hopeful. "Over here," she shouted, louder this time, but the crack in her voice made Liam move faster.

  He rounded the corner of a jutting rock and found a woman, sitting on the ground in an awkward position holding her ankle. She was in a small rock enclave that surrounded her on three sides. Her uninjured leg was tucked up near her rear, and her torso was twisted as she apparently tried to reach her ankle without moving the rest of her body. Her white shirt was torn down the front, and from this angle her breast, smeared with dirt, was spilling forward, threatening the seams of her bra. Despite himself, Liam felt his cock twitch in his pants. She was gorgeous. Her blond hair was tied up in a high ponytail, but flyaway strands were floating around her face. With the sun streaming around her, she looked like an angel literally fallen from heaven. And that fall had done a number on her, twisting her ankle and getting her scraped and dirty in the process. God, he wouldn't mind getting dirty with her. He'd make this angel sin.

  Liam shook himself. Jesus. She was in pain, and he was standing there just staring at her and imagining all the things they could do together. He scolded himself for going so long without venturing into town to sate his sexual appetite. It had been months, and now at the first sight of a female, cheesy pick-up lines were flowing through his mind like it was the sincerest poetry.

  Her eyes watered in pain, but she smiled when she saw Liam.

  "Thank God. I think I twisted my ankle."

  Liam crouched down in front of her. "May I?" he asked, reaching his hands out to touch her.

  She nodded.

  Gingerly, Liam placed his hands above her hiking shoe and started to feel around for swelling or a break. Her skin was silky soft under his rough and calloused hands. She felt like butter melting across his finger tips. He moved slowly, trying not to hurt her and savoring the sensation of her warm skin.

  "Ah!" The girl gasped as Liam touched the outer bone.

  "It's oka
y." He whispered the words, looking up at her. She let out a breath, relaxing, and her breasts heaved in the process. Liam bit the inside of his lip and spent a moment longer staring at her before looking back to the ankle. A part of him wanted to touch that spot again, just to make her breasts heave like that. Instead, he moved his hand around the back of her ankle and slid it up her bare calf. It was possible she could have pulled a muscle, too. She sucked her breath in again, but this time there was evidently no pain. The swath of bare skin between her hiking boots and her mid-thigh shorts was pert and unblemished. Liam had an urge to lick the length of it. He looked her in the eye and she stared back, her eyes burning into his. She bit her lip and sucked in a quick breath as Liam's fingers slipped against the insides of her knees. Blood rushed south so fast it made him woozy.

  "It's not broken," he said finally.

  She nodded, her lower lip trapped under teeth. He licked his lips, imagining his own teeth scraping across her plush mouth, biting her in between passionate kisses. Man, he really needed to spend some time in town. He'd never had such a feverish, instantaneous reaction to a woman before. Liam crouched and stood up, putting some space between himself and this woman and adjusting himself in the process. He held his hand out to her, and she took it. Her hands were as soft as her legs had been. He pressed his lips together hard until the pain overcame his desire.

  "Can you put any weight on it?"

  Gingerly, she put her toe on the ground, but the second she shifted any weight to it, she yelped. Tears started to glisten in her eyes again.

  "How am I going to get out of here?"

  Liam stared at the woman before saying, quite matter-of-factly, "I'm going to carry you."

  "Where? There's nothing for miles." Her voice pitched up in panic.

  "To my house."

  Chapter Two

  Ava

  "Come on," the man said, hunching down to let Ava Taylor climb onto his back. She looked around the woods, trying to think of an alternative, but she didn't have one. She had to either trust this stranger or try to hobble out alone, and considering she couldn't put any weight on her leg, she didn't think there was any way she could hop the several miles out. She didn't even know the way, not since she'd dropped her topography map in the water during a river crossing hours ago. Her lab partner, Brian, had warned her this was a dangerous and potentially stupid expedition, but Ava had a hunch that she was going to find a missing link to their work out here in the woods, and she wasn't going to be deterred. She'd found a ride on the campus bulletin board that morning and packed her bag quickly, paying more attention to packing tools for gathering samples than worrying about wilderness preparedness, or letting anyone know she was heading out there.

  "Before I climb on your back, at least tell me your name." Ava didn't know why, but this felt important. She didn't want to be carted around on a stranger's back without even knowing if his name was Beauregard or Eustace or Bob.

  The man regarded her for a moment. "Liam."

  Liam. It was a good name. Ava reached her hand out to shake Liam's.

  "Ava," she said.

  The corner of Liam's mouth turned up, and he reached his calloused hand back out to her. She held it for a moment too long. Her body was screaming with two extremely different feelings. The intense pain in her ankle warred for top billing with the butterflies in her stomach. This man was so ruggedly handsome. His broad shoulders strained against his flannel shirt. His beard was salt and pepper, but not black pepper, cayenne and chili pepper. Blond, red, brown, and orange hairs mixed together, creating a light-catching red beard that was a shade softer than his messy, wavy auburn hair. She wanted to mash herself against him and feel that beard against her face--kiss him until her face was raw and her lips were chapped. She chewed on her lower lip. Her fantasies were getting the better of her; she had a twisted ankle that she had to deal with. That was the physical entity that needed her attention right now.

  "Are you sure you can carry me?" Ava looked down at herself. This man looked like he could throw her around easily, but that wasn't something that crossed her mind often. She wasn't petite or delicate, and she felt a little self-conscious about the idea of someone carrying her. There was nothing around here, not for miles. Even if this man screamed strength, from his tough hands, to his large build, to his determined eyes, that was a long way to carry another person.

  "My cabin's not far from here," he assured her. "Come on, Red. Hop on."

  Ava frowned at the peculiar nickname, but didn't have time to ask what he meant. Liam had crouched down again and was waiting for Ava to clamber onto his back. Ava took a breath, hoped this wasn't a colossally bad idea, and climbed up awkwardly, keeping weight off her injured ankle. He jostled her up so she was riding comfortably on him, with her legs wrapped around his torso and his arms looped back and under her rear.

  "Ready?" he asked.

  Ava gripped her thighs around Liam. "As ever, I guess."

  Liam nodded once and started down the mountain. He was warm--like he'd been running--and his skin scorched through her clothes. In that position, Ava was uncomfortably aware of how much of her was touching him. Her breasts and belly pushed against his back, and the way his muscles moved under his shirt as he walked made it way too easy for Ava to imagine they were skin to skin. She let her eyelids drift closed as Liam carried her. Her pussy rubbed against his back, and the friction only made her warring sensations flare hotly. She forgot about the pain in her ankle and concentrated on the delicious ache growing in her core.

  A tiny moan escaped her, and Ava's eyes flew open in embarrassment.

  "Does it hurt?" Liam asked, his voice low and gruff as he carefully picked his route down the rocky terrain.

  "I'm fine," Ava managed. She chided herself. If this stranger knew what she was thinking ... her cheeks flushed with embarrassment over the idea. They'd just met. There was no reason that she should be so flummoxed. Well, there was a good reason. Her body was the perfect barometer for bad decisions--it always wanted what was bad for her.

  #

  Liam's cabin was nestled in the woods like a picture out of a fairy tale book. The story of Hansel and Gretel crossed Ava's mind. She was about to walk into a stranger's cabin, and there was no one around for miles. If Liam wasn't someone to trust, she didn't have a backup plan.

  Ava pulled out her cell phone and held it to the sky, trying, for the umpteenth time, to find service, but there were still no bars. And now her battery was running low. She reasoned with herself: Liam's home looked so idyllic, surrounded by shady trees with flowers in a planter box under the window. And Liam had literally saved her. Literally carried her on his back. She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the slight ripple of terror that rolled through her stomach. Or was that just adrenaline? Or even attraction? Why couldn't she tell those feelings apart? Her body was buzzing with something--a high electrical current that made her arm hair stand on end and her skin hyper-sensitive to every part of her that was touching him. She took another deep breath. If she wasn't safe with him, she wasn't any safer in the woods without him.

  Liam walked into the cabin with Ava still on his back. The cabin was decently spacious, but there was zero privacy. It was one open space. A range, cooler, and wash bucket were on one side of the cabin, and a king size bed was on the other. Liam had nightstands piled with books and picture frames were clustered around the walls. There was a couch and a coffee table toward the door and a large bookshelf against the wall next to the couch, but no electric and no running water. If it had't been for the missing walls and old appliances, it could have been a perfectly normal home. The heavy chevron blanket on the bed and the beautifully carved wooden furniture looked expensive. The people in the photographs were all smiling--she noticed a picture of men in tuxedos with matching silver pins on their lapels, clamping cigars in their mouths, and their arms wrapped around each other. She spotted Liam easily in the photo. His beard was trimmed closer to his face then, but his smile was warm and ge
nuine, creating happy little crinkles next to his eyes. It was so beautiful, she wanted to see him smile like that.

  Suddenly Liam shifted her weight, letting her down from his back. Ava tried to stand on her good leg, but Liam wasn't putting her down on the ground. She realized she was headed straight for his bed. She put her hand out and fell softly onto her back. The sudden removal of Liam and his warmth sent a cold shiver through her body, and her nipples hardened. She scooted backwards, pushing up on her arms to get into a sitting position, so that she wasn't splayed out on this stranger's bed.

  "How does your ankle feel?" Liam was crouched down next to the bed, examining her again.

  "It feels okay, now that I don't have any weight on it."

  Liam's fingers were touching her again. After how close their bodies had been on the way to the cabin, it shouldn't have felt so special. It was a doctor examining a patient. Medical. Impersonal. But the lack of his touch everywhere else only made his fingertips on her ankle that more intense. She squirmed away and tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed to stand.

  "Whoa, there." Liam placed his hand on her thigh, stopping her movement. Lifting her legs, he brought them back to center on the bed. "Relax. You screwed that ankle up pretty badly. It's best to just let it rest. He took a pillow from the headboard and propped her foot on it.

  "What were you doing all the way out here anyway?" Liam sat down on the bed beside Ava. She told herself to scoot away from him, to put a reasonable amount of distance between them, but from where he was sitting she could just barely feel the warmth coming off of him and she so desperately wanted to curl back into it. What was it about this guy that was putting her body into overdrive? Her mind had turned single track, caring only about Liam's physical proximity.

  "I was gathering research." Though the fog of lust for Liam, Ava struggled to remember just what she was doing out there. She cleared her throat and folded her hands in her lap.