MC Bear My Baby (Beartooth Brotherhood MC)

by Bella Love-Wins

  He had a hard time getting his head on straight when Molly climbed off and headed toward the entrance. If only he had some time to think, plan ‘get the fuck away and fast’ wouldn’t be top of mind. Shoving his keys in his front pocket, he followed her inside. This was still a paid gig and the woman was still in potential danger. The woman his bear couldn’t get enough of.

  Molly wasn’t getting kidnapped on his watch.

  “Hey, you okay over there?” Molly asked as they waited to be let in the employee entrance.

  She trailed her fingers down his leather cut near the middle of his back and he almost bolted out of her grasp. Shit, he really was spooked about all this. Molly wasn’t helping either. Before today, he couldn’t remember even one time she’d asked him if he was okay. It may have been a simple question, but from where he was standing, he just hoped this wasn’t going to take them down ‘share-your-feelings’ lane. She stood there, looking up at him for an answer to this mundane question.

  Ugh, fuck!

  Tate scrambled for something, anything. Nothing came but a grunt, then he blurted out, “I’m surprised they let chicks do this stuff, seems a little tough on their nails or something. Wait, what do people bet with up in there? Barbie dolls and My Little Ponies?” He coughed out a laugh, but the sound stuck in his throat. Not the best recovery plan, but fuck it. Changing the subject was a good start.

  “You want to go there? I can show you a new perspective that’ll probably bruise your ego and put you out of commission.” She motioned to him and got into a boxing stance. “Bring it.”

  “We’ve sparred before, Moll. I know what you’re bringing to the table. I don’t need a recap.”

  She’d kicked his ass about half the time they sparred, and although he enjoyed the challenge, he wasn’t in the mood right now.

  Molly continued to bounce on the balls of her feet. Her eyes narrowed. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Tate cocked his head with a grin. “You’ve got a job to do in there, don’t you?”

  “Chicken shit,” she sang, daring him.

  Nope, he wasn’t falling for that right now, even if his inner bear was ridiculously offended.

  “Look, you got to get in there to patch up the brave bitches, and I can’t fight you because it’s my job to fucking protect your ass from a psychopath. Kicking your butt from here to Canada doesn’t really qualify me as a great bodyguard, okay? Besides…” Tate coughed into his fist and started walking around Molly as she pseudo-chased him. “It’s not easy sparring with a gorgeous woman when I have a boner the size of Texas.”

  “Prove it,” she teased.

  “Don’t tempt me or I’m liable to take you right up against this wall.”

  It was a huge win that he didn’t look back to see her face, but he could imagine her expression. He looked down at the ground, yanked her by her elbow, and practically dragged her into the warehouse when the staff door person finally let them in. She didn’t put up much of a fight either, just a few grunts here and there. By the time she dropped off some gear in the women’s locker room and made it all the way inside, she was too busy straightening her clothes and pasting on a smile to look professional or some shit.

  He took a deep breath and took a quick look around the place to see how vulnerable Molly would be in here. The fight club was seedy as fuck, with everyone standing around a big boxing ring, the air filled with sharp smoke, and something burning in frying oil. The idea that they might serve food in a dump like this screwed with his iron stomach. A slight headache pressed against his temples. Could it get any louder in this shithole? They were screaming as though this was a fight to the death. Any second he half expected a lion shifter to come charging out into the ring and maul one of these bitches.

  Chaos. Yes, that was the only safe way to describe the club.

  There were definitely some shifters in the crowd here. He smelled several bears, some panthers, and a few dragon shifters around, both male and female. On a normal day he would have eaten this up for breakfast and asked for seconds, but as a bodyguard, shit just got a fuck ton harder. He took in all the people, the various exit strategies, and Molly, whose eyes were glued to the fight already going down in the ring. It was a great place to hide in plain sight, which was no help at all.

  “Where do I need to take you? Where do you normally do your nursing shit?” He half screamed into her ear, avoiding the fact that in order to do it, he got so close he could taste her. He pulled back, inhaling her sweetness on his cut, groaning for the millionth time in the past hour. “Let’s get you set up.”

  “I’m already late, Tate. I got it.”

  She shrugged him off without a backward glance, shoving herself into the throng of people around the ring. He knew this job wasn’t going to be a cake walk, but for all he knew, this Jett motherfucker could be in there waiting for her. Grunting in frustration, he followed her, keeping her in his line of sight as he pushed through the crowd.

  A million ways to restore his manhood flashed through his mind while he kept her in his line of sight. She stopped at what he presumed was the makeshift nurse’s station—a spot on the bench filled with female fighters waiting for their turn in the ring. By then he was on high alert, and finally his head was back on the job. He caught up to her and jerked her backward by the elbow until she spun and they were chest to chest. She was a temptress tonight, pressing up against him from her hips to her shoulders, summoning his beast to spill heated energy over both of them.

  “Don’t do that again, Moll.” His fingers involuntarily tightened along the soft flesh of her elbow, nostrils flared as she licked her lips and glared at him. “I can’t do my job if you play shit like that and rush on ahead of me. There are a ton of people in here and your stalker friend can make an appearance anytime, if he isn’t already in here. So, you get to stick to my hip until I tell you to do otherwise, got it?”

  Molly rolled her eyes and tried to jerk out of his grip. “Are you going to let me do my job now?”

  “Not until you agree.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Tate,” she snapped. “I still have to work here. Now let me go. You can watch my back from six feet away…as in get the hell over there beside the bench and watch.”

  She pulled back a second time and this time he let her go, wiping his hand on his pants. Molly turned and started to speak with a woman in workout gear next to the ring who was carrying a clipboard. Whatever the hell her problem was, he wouldn’t let her fuck up his ability to keep her safe. They weren’t dating. This was a paycheck, pure and simple. If she wanted to scream at him and make his job that much harder, well, she was paying for the pleasure, so he left it at that.

  Doesn’t bother me a damn bit.

  Nope, not for a fucking second.

  He alternated doing a scan of the crowd and watching Molly work. A bell went off to end the current round of fighting, and Molly stepped up to the side of the ring with a bunch of supplies she placed at her feet. For the moment she was swabbing a gash on some chick’s cheekbone. Molly crouched down beside the little bench in the ring and spoke to the female boxer as she worked. From where Tate was standing, he couldn’t make out their conversation, but it was clear Molly knew what she was doing.

  He crossed his arms over his chest, unable to take his eyes off her, and with no idea why he was frowning. Or why his heart felt like it was being squeezed in a wrench. Goddamn, was he catching feelings for the broad? He physically shook off the thought like a dog shaking off water, scanning the rowdy crowd around them again. There were some bodyguards, big hulking guys in black. So stereotypical. They were probably there to keep the drunks from rioting and tearing the place up. For now, all the men present seemed more interested in checking out the half-naked honeys duking it out in the ring together.

  After a few fights, someone tapped Tate on the shoulder and his gaze flicked back. It wasn’t Molly, because she was in the ring fixing some fighter chick’s dislocated arm. Definitely that one was human, otherw
ise she could have just shifted and made that little problem go away. He pivoted backward, making sure to keep his fuck buddy in his sights. When what he’d really like to do is keep her under his lock and key—with his cock in her mouth.

  “What’s up?” He asked, glancing down at a petite, red-headed ring bunny wearing next to nothing in a bare it all bikini. “You need something?”

  She blinked up at him and her fake smile wavered a little bit.

  “Don’t you remember me?”

  He looked harder. He didn’t, so he shook his head. “Sorry I can’t say that I do.”

  “We did that session at the Sobrevivir Club, remember?”

  She raised her hands over her head and touched her wrists together. That’s when he remembered, vaguely. He went to the Club, an underground sex club, at least a few nights a month. Maybe he’d done a bit of bondage play with this redhead.

  He scratched his head. “Oh, okay. Nice seeing you.”

  “I have my break right now, and you looked like you might be bored. Want some company? Maybe we could meet up in the back?”

  Her fingers hesitantly brushed the front of his cut, gliding down his chest and pulling at the top of his pants. Tate cleared his throat. This wasn’t a first, but it was the first time he didn’t feel the slightest interest in taking a random sexy stranger up on an offer like this. Under the usual circumstances, he’d be out the door, gripping her skinny ass while keeping her pinned against a grimy brick wall, shoving those bikini bottoms to the side and for a one and done. If he were in his right mind, he’d fuck her pretty little brains out, but circumstances were a little different tonight. Tonight, he wasn’t that interested.

  Shit.

  “Sorry, little lady. I appreciate the offer but I’m actually working. Rain check?”

  “Sure. You come around here often?” Poor girl immediately brightened up at his rejection. “I mean, I don’t normally do this, but I had fun that night. We should hook up again.”

  He mentally rolled his eyes and kept the lies tumbling off his tongue. His bear only wanted Molly. What the fuck was wrong with him? Eventually he said something that must have clicked, though fuck if he knew what it was. The ring bunny eventually went away with a smile on her face and a little wave. Jesus, he needed to keep his head on straight.

  He looked over at Molly again, who was organizing her paramedic bag while she spoke with a five foot nothing shady sleazebag of a guy. The idiot motioned her toward the ring and shoved a pair of gloves into her arms. Uh, no. No way was she fighting tonight, or anytime soon.

  He hurried to her side and gripped her around the waist to stop her. “What the hell’s going on, Moll?”

  The short dude had the nerve to step in front of him. “Do we have a problem over here?”

  Molly shook her head and stepped in between Tate and the guy. “No problem at all. Just give me a second.”

  When she turned to face Tate and smiled up at him as if nothing was wrong, he knew she was trying to sell him on the idea of letting her fight.

  “You’re not getting in that ring, Molly. Forget about it.”

  “Sure I am.”

  “Not gonna happen.”

  “Who’s gonna stop me?” She saw the look on his face and softened her stance. “I’m fine, Tate. I just need to blow off a little steam. You go back to keeping an eye out.”

  “Give the guy those gloves back.” His fingers held on to her waist and she shook her head. “Do we need to have a chat? Or do I need to throw you over my shoulder and get you the hell out of here?”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” she said through her teeth. “The manager asked if I could sub out for a girl who isn’t coming. It’s a no-brainer. Do you know how much money is on the line? Plus, I can take her. You’ve seen all the girls who’ve gone up so far. It’ll be over in the first round.”

  She pried herself away from him and headed toward the ring. Tate was back in front of her in three strides, putting both hands on her shoulders. She immediately took a step back and tried to get around him, but he wasn’t letting her move another inch.

  “No. Fucking. Way. You’re not getting in that ring to get your ass kicked. Not on my watch.”

  “I won’t lose.”

  “Okay, so I know whoever’s in the ring you can probably take them. That’s not the fucking point. You’re not here for that. That ain’t your job. And letting you get in the ring is stopping me from doing my job. Look, this isn’t up for discussion. You’re not getting in that ring.” Tate snatched her wrist, fully intending to throw her over his shoulder caveman style if that was what it took to get her out of this hellhole. If she wasn’t playing nurse, she didn’t need to be here.

  “You said it yourself that I can win, so give me a break and let me the fuck go… My mom and I didn’t hire you to stop me from living, Tate. Now do your job. Feel free to keep your back turned if you can’t watch, but I’m going in that ring. You know I’ll kick your ass and wind up in the ring anyway.” She wrenched out of his grip, pushed him backward, and kept walking.

  “Christ, woman.” He followed her ringside, swearing under his breath the whole way.

  Molly swung under the ropes. It was when she stripped off her outer clothes to reveal the same tiny matching short-shorts with bikini top that the other fighters wore that he realized she’d been planning this all along. She leaned over the ropes and reached her hand out to his. “So I fight here sometimes.”

  “Fuck, Molly. So who are you going up against?”

  She nodded behind her to a shadow of a figure still bouncing on each foot outside the ring while men cheered their asses off for the person. Tate swallowed through his tight throat and took a closer look, and Molly took the opportunity to hurry to center ring, out of his grasp.

  “Jesus fucking Christ…” Tate banged his fists against the ring and took another cursory sniff of the sweltering, musky air. “No! No, Molly, no!”

  There was no denying his inner bear was right on target. His lips curled back and his hands went white where he gripped the bottom of the ring. All the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a swell of heat burst through his limbs, giving him goosebumps. This was bad, very bad.

  The other chick in the ring was a panther shifter.

  11

  Molly

  Molly stretched her arm and limbered up, watching her opponent out of the corner of her eye as the other woman did some kind of weird dance back and forth on her toes. She’d seen the girl fight a few times. Her opponent was damn good, but Molly was sure she could take her. The woman’s moves were predictable. Mentally going through her catalogue of sparring techniques, she prepared herself and took a second to look Tate’s way. The man was in a state of panic. It was kind of cute.

  He motioned to her again to come to him. He should have known the stubborn woman would have shaken her head. Tate motioned again and she rolled her eyes. Could he be any more overprotective? He wouldn’t leave her alone until she did what he wanted, and she didn’t put it past him to eventually step in the ring and really cart her off, but she needed this. Plus, in order to fight she needed her mind clear and not focused on him. To get him off her back, she quickly moved across to him and bent down until their eyes were level. She slapped a smile on her face for the crowd, but Tate wasn’t buying it.

  “What? Now’s not the best time.”

  “You’re fighting a shifter, Molly…panther shifter to be exact. She’s fierce, strong and agile, and she’ll annihilate you in there. Come out before you get yourself killed. Now!”

  She saw all the color drain from his face as she lifted up her chin in defiance. Human or animal—she knew this girl. She knew the woman’s moves inside and out. There was still a shot and a heck of a lot of money on the line. Money that she could say she earned, as opposed to what she and her mother had inherited after her father died. No way was she going to turn down this opportunity without giving it a shot.

  “I’m doing this, so just get over it.”


  She wasn’t afraid of the pain. If anything, it was a damn good motivator. Tate started screaming from the sidelines. She ignored him now, zeroing in all of her focus to the tall, fit woman standing on the other corner of the ring.

  “I beat Tate, I can take on this bitch,” she said under her breath, giving herself a pep talk before the girl with the clipboard stepped into the ring and popped a mouth guard over Molly’s teeth.

  The bell dinged twice, she put her hands up to guard her face, and it was time to kick some ass. The world narrowed to nothing and everything. Within seconds, the other woman had thrown three jabs toward her face, kidneys, and stomach.

  Dip, duck, and dodge.

  Molly kept one step ahead, playing a good defense as her heart beat hard and high in her throat. Her opponent was known for coming on strong at the beginning and waning in the later rounds. It was just a matter of wearing the woman down and conserving energy.

  So she thought, but apparently not tonight.

  Molly was sure she’d pivoted to the left enough to avoid panther chick’s next blow, but it partway caught her in the mouth just as she shot out with her right hand and delivered a good hit to the panther shifter’s stomach. Molly threw her hand up to cover her mouth and watched the other woman double over from the gut punch. The steady roar of the crowd made her head pound, fists shaking inside her gloves. Her vision warped and wobbled as she swallowed down mouthfuls of blood from the shot to her face.

  Molly decided it was time to take a risk. She couldn’t let the bitch get the upper hand so fast, not with strength and speed and this shifter gift obviously in her corner. She ducked behind her, pivoted, and tried to play follow the leader to get the girl back on the ropes. She mentally begged her to play along, wishing she had listened for the woman’s fighting name before this so she could taunt her and get her riled up. She dodged another blow and counter-returned a hit that panther girl blocked hard, letting out a roar that was definitely animal-like. The impact of the blow rocked all the way past Molly’s wrist and up her arm until her chest constricted with fear. She swallowed, catching another hit, this time to the ribs. This one knocked the wind out of her to the point that she was struggling to regain her balance.