Bear Guardian

by Ruby Shae

  “That’s a good idea,” Logan said. “Text me before you go, and I’ll try to get down there with Becca. If not, maybe we can all meet for dinner or drinks one night. Whatever you want. Just let me know.”

  “Thanks man,” Jacob said. “I’ll let you know.”

  He ended the call, and thought about what his next steps should be. The urge to cross the hall and storm into her apartment still rode him hard, but he knew she needed some time. Forcing his way into her life minutes after a breakup wasn’t a good plan, but he wasn’t going to waste the week either.

  Two days.

  He’d give her two days to mourn her relationship with the loser and recover some of her pride, and then all bets were off. He wasn’t worried about her being on the rebound, because in two days, he was going to start pursuing his mate hardcore, and she was going to learn pretty quick how a boyfriend is supposed to act.

  Beneath the surface, his bear grunted in agreement, and with a plan in place, he started to relax. After six long months, his patience had finally paid off, and soon—very soon—Avery would be his.

  Chapter Two

  Avery opened the freezer door again, closed it, and then did the same to the fridge even though she already knew what she would find.

  It had been two days since her ex had left, but that wasn’t what bothered her. It had also been two days since Jacob had seen her—all of her—in that stupid outfit.

  God, what the hell was I thinking?!

  Whatever crazy, wild hair that had provoked her to spend an insane amount of money on a few scraps of lace had been replaced by an even crazier, wilder hair that had forced her feet to the door when David had left.

  She understood why she did it. At that time, she had just wanted him gone, and it seemed only right to follow him to the door so she could watch him leave and turn the lock after he was gone. People followed visitors to the door all the time, it’s what’s done, and yet if she had only stayed back, even for just a few seconds, then Jacob wouldn’t have seen her, and she would be able to leave her house again.

  She couldn’t stop the long, exaggerated sigh that escaped her mouth, or the truth that hammered in her brain. Seeing Jacob again was inevitable, and she wouldn’t be able to hide forever.

  Damnit!

  Jacob Underwood had been her neighbor for about six months, and she’d been infatuated with him for about…six months. He was tall, which wasn’t that big of a deal except that he was about six inches taller than her, and at five-feet, ten-inches tall, most men didn’t tower over her.

  Jacob did, though, and she loved it.

  She also loved that his shoulders were broad, his biceps were well defined, and his chest was solid muscle. In fact, he was solid muscle everywhere, and she was sure the term six-pack abs didn’t apply to him.

  God, just thinking about his hard, toned body, and all the ways she wanted to rub herself against him made her pussy tingle with need, and a second later, liquid heat dampened her panties. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the freezer door, but the cool exterior did little to douse her lust.

  He was walking sex-on-a-stick, but he was also so much more.

  He was friendly and kind to not only her, but to others in the building, and he was a responsible neighbor. More importantly, he seemed to be a responsible person.

  She knew he had a job from one of their short conversations, and it didn’t surprise her at all that his job was in security. He seemed like a natural protector, and though he sometimes worked odd hours, he never seemed to mind the long hours, or going the extra mile for someone in need.

  It was rare, but sometimes she could hear him come home late at night, answer his phone before he even put his key in the door, and then turn around and leave again. Remarkably, his voice never held malice or contempt toward whomever was on the line, but he always remained patient, rational, and determined.

  They weren’t sex calls either. She knew enough about booty calls to understand the voice fluctuations and flirting that went into a hook-up, and Jacob’s voice never held any of the signs. She’d also never seen a single woman in his apartment. Every once in a while, a female would visit him, but they were always accompanied by a man, and definitely unavailable.

  She briefly wondered why that was, but decided she didn’t care. The last thing she wanted to see was a ton of women strolling in and out of Jacob’s apartment. Not that she had any claim on him. Nor would she ever.

  Men like Jacob didn’t date women like her.

  He asked you out once.

  Stupid conscious.

  She wasn’t a complete idiot. She remembered perfectly well the time he had asked her out, and her perfectly stupid response stating she had a boyfriend. It wasn’t true, of course. All she’d had was David, but deep down, she knew a man like Jacob could never really be interested in a girl like her.

  He was perfection, and she was…not.

  She remembered his secret, and laughed at her previous assessment. He was way more than perfection, he was otherworldly. It was the only thing that fit.

  How else would you explain a man turning into a bear?

  If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, then she wouldn’t have believed it. But she had seen it. She’d been mildly shocked, entirely fascinated, and filled with about a billion questions…but she’d never been afraid.

  Even now, months later, fear had never crossed her mind.

  In fact, if she were being completely honest with herself, his ability to change had only made her want him more. She didn’t understand why that was exactly, nor did she ever plan on analyzing her feelings beyond acknowledging that she wanted him more than she’d ever wanted any man.

  More than that, though, she wanted him to want her, too. Yes, he’d asked her out, but she had no idea why, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. From what she knew of him, he was a good man, and she didn’t want her perception of him tarnished.

  She was already leery of the fact that he’d called her beautiful, and she didn’t want to hear any more lies coming from his lips. She also didn’t want to hear any jokes at her expense. Now that he’d seen nearly all of her, he’d be able to tease her about her imperfections for as long as they were neighbors.

  Considering he’d only moved in six months ago, and she had no plans to move anytime soon, he could be across the hall for a very long time.

  Damnit!

  A braver woman would just suck it up and move on, but Avery knew she wasn’t a brave woman. Simply put, she was a coward.

  Unfortunately, she was a coward that needed food.

  After years of yo-yo dieting, and being told she’d be “pretty” if she just lost weight, she’d trained herself to eat right, and not despise exercise. Okay, walking was really the only thing she could handle, but she did it nearly every day, and she rarely indulged in junk food.

  She wasn’t thin by any means though.

  After initially losing some weight, and then gaining it back multiple times, she’d opted for a healthy lifestyle instead of a number on a scale, and it had been the best decision of her life. She liked food, she always had, but she liked herself more when she allowed herself to enjoy everything in moderation instead of limiting “bad” foods.

  Her good habits would lead to her downfall now, though, because they were the reason why her fridge was empty and her cabinets were nearly bare. She’d missed her weekly grocery day, and though she could order in, it would only delay the inevitable for a few more hours, and really, what was the point.

  As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t hide forever.

  She started walking down the hall, determined to shower and leave her apartment with her head held high, when a sharp knock landed on her door.

  She moved toward the door with quiet steps, and held her breath as she looked out the peephole. Jacob stood on the other side, and his chocolate brown eyes seemed to be looking directly at her. As if he knew where she stood, and that she was watching him.

  Hell,
he probably did know.

  Shit!

  She pulled away from the peephole, and let out the breath she’d been holding. What should she do? Did he know she was inside? Could she ignore him?

  “Avery, I know you’re in there,” he said. “Open the door.”

  He spoke in a regular conversational tone, but his deep baritone seemed to rumble through the wood, and envelope her in warmth. Need shot down her spine, and her body betrayed her as more heat dampened her panties.

  To make matters worse, she wanted to please him. She wanted to obey his every command with a desire she didn’t understand, and before she could fully think about the consequences of her actions, she opened the door.

  Holy hell!

  Why was he so freaking gorgeous? Avery pulled open the door and stared at Jacob like a woman in a trance. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt that was stretched across his hard chest, and the soft sleeves molded to his biceps in way that made her mouth water. Loose, faded jeans hung low on his hips, and a pair of black flip-flops covered his perfect feet.

  Perfect feet?

  God, she had it bad, because even his feet were perfect.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said, smiling. “I thought you might be hungry.”

  She glanced down at her outfit, and hastily took a step back. Had she brushed her teeth today? Her hair? Hell, she couldn’t remember, but she’d been wearing the same outfit for two days. The baggy sweatpants and worn-out t-shirt were better than the sexy lingerie, but not by much. Especially since the t-shirt had a hole in the armpit and some kind of stain on the top of one of her boobs.

  Just freaking great!

  “I’m not.”

  She stated the words vehemently, but her bold declaration was immediately rebuked by her stomach. A loud and long growl filled the air between them, and Avery felt her cheeks warm at the same time she wished for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

  Jacob raised an eyebrow, smiled, and held out the bag he was holding.

  “I brought Chinese.”

  As soon as he held out the bag, he hadn’t needed to clarify what was inside. The smell of chow mien, fried rice, broccoli beef, and something fried, probably egg rolls, made her mouth water, and, afraid that her stomach would betray her again, she took another step back.

  Now that he’d come to her, and seen her at her worst—again—there was really no reason to stay hidden. She had no idea what he wanted, but she was starving, and she wanted the food he offered.

  “Fine,” she said, taking a third step back. “You can come in, but I need a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”

  She turned, and forced herself to walk to her bedroom instead of running like she wanted to. She knew she didn’t have to worry about Jacob closing the front door, or bothering her while she showered, but she still locked the bedroom door before she got undressed.

  As she stripped off her clothes, she glanced at the flimsy lock, and realized it would do no good if she really wanted to keep him out. Luckily, she knew he wouldn’t try to get in.

  Whatever his reasons were for bringing over food, she doubted they had anything to do with seeing her naked. Unfortunately, she had no idea about his motives, and she wouldn’t know until she joined him for dinner.

  She shoved everything out of her mind, and focused on showering as fast as possible. It wasn’t easy, especially because she’d had to wash her hair, too, but she if she was going to share a meal with Jacob, then she wanted to be clean everywhere.

  ***

  Jacob watched Avery escape down the hall, and when she ducked into her bedroom, he turned and closed the front door. His hand tightened on the knob when he heard the water from the shower turn on, and he couldn’t stop the low growl that escaped.

  He let go of the door, and stared down the hall again.

  Every instinct told him to follow her.

  It would be so easy to break the flimsy lock on her bedroom door, burst into her bathroom, pull back the shower curtain, and join her under the warm water. He would kiss her hard, and she would kiss him back with the same raw abandon. When he lifted her curvy body to pin her against the wet tile, she would wrap her legs around him confident and uninhibited, and then he would sink his cock into her soft wet channel…

  He shook his head, and forced his feet to move him into the small dining area next to the kitchen. He set the bag of food on the table, and willed his hard cock to go down.

  It wasn’t hard when he ran the same scenario through his head again, and pictured what would really happen if he broke into Avery’s bedroom after she’d trusted him enough to allow him into her home. In short, she would kick him out and never speak to him again.

  His bear paced back and forth, angry that they weren’t claiming her right now, but the man knew better. Aside from just getting out of a long-term relationship, Avery always seemed to hold back a little whenever she noticed him. It was almost as if her confidence slipped a little in his presence, and that was something he couldn’t tolerate.

  When he did claim her, she would be ready and willing, but even more important, she would be confident and secure in his feelings. He never wanted her to feel anything other than perfect when they were together.

  He heard the soft pad of Avery’s feet approaching, and a second later the combined scents of mint, roses, and mate hit his nose. Avery’s own unique scent reminded him of the forest after the sun went down on a warm summer evening, and that, combined with her fresh mint toothpaste, and rose scented shampoo, meant home to both the man and the bear.

  He turned to face her, and his cock immediately started to swell.

  She was dressed in a pair of black yoga pants and a more form-fitting t-shirt than the one she’d had on earlier, and her still-wet, shoulder-length, auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

  Honestly, she was beautiful no matter what she wore, but he was glad she’d ditched the baggy sweats and worn-out t-shirt. He had a feeling she’d only donned the clothes because she’d been dumped, and he hated the fact that she’d allowed herself to feel so bad about someone so terrible.

  “Hey,” she said, smiling tentatively.

  He reminded himself that winning her over would take time, but that didn’t mean he was going to hide in the shadows until she was ready.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said. “Are you ready to eat?”

  Her smile fell for an instant, but she quickly plastered on another, and moved passed him into the kitchen. He knew he hated her uneasy smiles, but at least they were real. This new smile was completely fake, and he disliked it more than the others. He had no idea what caused the fake grin, but he was going to find out. And soon.

  “Yeah, I’m starving,” she said, pulling two plates out of the cupboard, and setting them on the table. “Thank you for bringing dinner. I’m sorry, but I only have water or coffee to drink.”

  She hadn’t asked a question, but he answered her anyway.

  “Water is fine.”

  She grabbed two forks and two water bottles, and he unpacked the bag of food and opened up the containers. They piled their plates with food in companionable silence, and he didn’t speak again until she was halfway done with her plate.

  “So, how are you doing?” he asked.

  She stopped eating and looked at him curiously.

  “I’m fine,” she replied, “and you?”

  “I meant since the break-up?”

  She stopped her fork mid-bite, looked at him again, and then slowly lowered the utensil back to her plate. Her fake smile was replaced with a frown, and her green eyes sparkled with anger. He hadn’t meant to make her mad, but he liked the fire he saw in her Emerald orbs. Still, he wasn’t stupid enough to want her angry with him.

  “You want to talk about my break-up? Why?” she asked, shaking her head. “You know what? Never mind. You want to talk? We’ll talk. Let’s see—”

  “Wait,” he said, holding up a hand, and stopping her tirade. “I’m not sure why you’re angry with me, but I’m
guessing it has something to do with the fact that you think I’m going to make fun of you or something, so let me stop you right there. I honestly hated the guy, and I’m glad you’re done with him, but I don’t like to see you hurting. My question was out of concern for your well-being, and nothing more.”

  “Concern for my well-being?”

  The bewildered look on her face made him want to hunt down the loser all over again.

  “Yes,” he affirmed. “I care about you, Avery. I always have.”

  “You’ve only lived here for six months,” she accused.

  “Yes,” he nodded, “and I’ve cared about you since I moved in.”

  “Why did you move in here, anyway?”

  Her tone was harsh, and full of censure, but he ignored it because he knew she was on the defensive. It would take time to build her trust, and luckily, he had all the time in the world.

  “I used to rent a house on the other end of town, but the owner sold, and the buyers wanted to use it as a primary residence.”

  “Okay, but why move in here? Why not buy your own house?”

  “I wanted to wait until I found my m—I wanted to be married first,” he shrugged. “Or at least engaged.”

  “That’s…sweet,” she smiled.

  It was a genuine smile, but it disappeared quickly.

  “Wait, are you involved with anyone right now?”

  Even though the question was seemingly innocent, he couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled in his chest. He knew what her ex was, and what kind of relationship they shared, and that knowledge was the only thing keeping his anger at bay.

  “If I was,” he growled, “then I wouldn’t be here with you. I don’t cheat. Ever.”

  “Sorry,” she said. “I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. My ex…David, that’s his name…he slept around a lot, and I don’t…”

  She made a face, and looked down at her plate as the unfinished thought hung in the air between them. He desperately wanted to know where the sentence was leading, but when it was clear she wouldn’t say anything else, he ended the tension.