BEARing it All (Wylde Brothers, 3)

by Jenika Snow

  A newspaper was spread out before Bram, and he held a glass of milk in his hand. The sight of that milk had a smile forming on her lips.

  “I wondered when you were going to wake up.” He looked up at her and grinned, flashing his straight, white teeth. “Thought you could sneak out on me?” He was still grinning, and humiliation and shame filled her. “I always get up at four and go for a run through the woods.” Leaning back in his chair, he brought his glass to his mouth and drank half the milk.

  Who would have ever thought watching a man suck down a glass of milk was sexy as hell? His dark hair was wet from perspiration, and she started her appraisal there and worked her way down. Everything about him was magnificent, but the most monumental thing out of it all was the fact that she felt no fear around him.

  There was this calmness that started in the pit of her belly and pushed outward.

  Her inner deer had never been so affected, had never felt the need to just sit back and let the human side of Kenzie take control.

  “I’d like to make you some breakfast right after I take a quick shower.” Bram stood and lifted his arms above his head to stretch. Dear Lord, her mouth started watering as she took in the full display of his muscles contracting from the movement. “Yeah, Kenzie?” He dropped his arms and moved closer to her.

  The scent of his clean, male sweat filled her nose, and she forced herself not to groan like some kind of nympho. What kind of female would he really think she was if she told him all about her past and the way she was feeling toward him?

  As she stared into his eyes, she knew those specific questions would be answered soon enough, because she was about to give him the gritty rundown of who she really was. Most likely, he would want to run in the other direction, because no sane man would want to get involved with someone that messed up, mate or not.

  “That sounds good, Bram.”

  He didn’t move, but that was okay, because she loved the feel of his body heat and scent surrounding her.

  “Good.” He brought his hand up and ran it over the back of his neck, and Kenzie couldn’t help but watch the way his bicep flexed. “I’ll be right back.”

  When the bathroom door shut behind him and Kenzie was seated in one of the dining room chairs, she let her head fall into her hands.

  “Get a grip, girl.” One minute, she had been ready to bolt out of here, and the next, she was sitting at his table, waiting for him so she could tell him what a fucked-up situation she had been in. Glancing at the front door, she contemplated just leaving.

  The sound of the shower running confirmed she had a good five to ten minutes of a head start, but she pushed that thought away as quickly as it had come.

  No, Kenzie had been a coward all her life, and she wasn’t going to ditch the first person she felt connected with and who saved her. Not because of life experiences.

  It was time she took something for herself.

  15

  Bram came back into the kitchen less than ten minutes later, and damn did he look good in a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt. She went to stand, but he shook his head and placed his hands on her shoulders to gently ease her back in the seat.

  “Please, relax and let me fix you something to eat, okay?”

  Kenzie looked up at him and nodded. For the next twenty minutes, Bram hovered over the stove. He didn’t force a conversation on her, and for that she was thankful. It was cute to see him going back and forth from the fridge to the stove to the sink.

  He even hummed to himself on occasion, and she wondered if he was aware of that. When he set a heaping plate in front of her of eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns, her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. Her embarrassment intensified when Bram chuckled at hearing the sound.

  “Milk, juice, or water? I don’t drink coffee, but I can always run into town and grab some if you’re going to go through withdrawals.”

  Kenzie laughed out loud and shook her head. “I hate coffee actually.”

  He slapped a hand on his chest and took a step back. Worry filled her at his sudden reaction.

  “Beautiful, killer body, and my girl isn’t a coffee drinker. I hit the mate jackpot.” He gave her a wink, sat in the seat across from her, and started tearing into his own plate of food.

  All Kenzie kept hearing in her head was Bram calling her “his girl.” It felt good to hear him say those two words, but at the same time so very bad.

  She could see herself getting attached to him. Hell, she was already feeling lightheaded in his presence and couldn’t stop thinking about him in every way possible. When he noticed she wasn’t eating and could probably feel her stare, he lifted just his eyes to look at her.

  “I know you’re hungry.” He gestured to the plate of food in front of her. “You need protein to help heal your wounds, and you’re gonna hurt a guy’s feelings by not eating what he cooked for you.” With one more wink, he went back to eating.

  Kenzie picked up her fork, speared a chunk of scrambled eggs, and brought it to her mouth. He was gorgeous, and he could cook.

  They ate in relative silence, but she could feel every time he looked up at her. It was like a physical touch, and she wondered if she was this aware of his every move because they were mates or if it was just because she had been sheltered so much that any kind of kindness and wanted attention made her more conscious of his actions. Once they were done eating, Bram pushed a full glass of orange juice toward her.

  “Vitamin C and all that.” The corner of his mouth kicked up, and her heart rate did the same. “So drink it up.” What a pushy alpha bear, but Kenzie smiled nonetheless. Once she finished the juice, she leaned back in her seat, her belly full for the first time in as long as she could remember.

  “So, how about we start at the beginning so I can get even more pissed at this asshole?”

  Although Bram’s expression was serious and harsh, his soft words were phrased in a way he was trying to ease the situation.

  Kenzie looked down at her empty plate and knew she just needed to get this over with. When it was all said and done, he would probably look at her differently, but of course that was to be expected. Who wanted a mate who was both mentally and physically scarred?

  The best place to start was from the beginning, and so that is exactly what she did.

  16

  Bram forced himself to give Kenzie the time she needed to tell him what he wanted to know. He knew this had to be hard for her, could smell her emotions as if they were a fresh rainstorm. He took on a relaxed position against the back of his chair, yet he felt anything but. His bear was a manic fucker inside him, pacing and growling, wanting to lock her away and keep her safe while he exacted his vengeance on the panther.

  He’d always felt this instability inside him, but being around Kenzie calmed the frantic need to deliver pain and receive it. But knowing what he was about to hear from Kenzie was probably filled with horrors, he felt the calmness dissipate and rage take its place. What he felt right now was like nothing he had ever encountered.

  “My parents were mugged and shot right in front of me when I was ten. I ran away after that, because there was no way I wanted another family to raise me. I just couldn’t deal with any of that, so I took to the streets and lived like that for only a month before I knew I was going to die right there beside the filthy dumpsters.” Her throat worked when she swallowed.

  Her cheeks heated, and her embarrassment smelled like a blooming flower.

  She lifted her gaze to his, and his heart clenched at her dejected look. “That was how Rook found me, dirty and hungry but willing and ready to die. He took me into his home, lavished me with parental affection, and made sure I never wanted for anything, but I should have sensed none of that was genuine. I was nothing but a pawn, a tool, a piece of property. He finally showed me who he really was.”

  The bear in him started to force his way out, to take control and end all this, but no way in hell was he going to shift in front of Kenzie, not when she was openi
ng herself up to him like she was.

  “With each passing day, he started showing me how sadistic he was.” The pain in her eyes as she stared at him was tangible, and he wanted to go to her, pull her into his arms, and kiss her until she never thought of that motherfucker again. “I tried to escape once, but that didn’t end well, so I never tried it again until last night. I was a coward, still am.”

  Bram gripped the edge of the table, leaned forward, and let the growl that was poised in his throat out with all the ferocity he felt. The wood beneath his hands cracked and crumbled, but the discomfort wasn’t enough.

  A lone tear slipped down her cheek, and he rose to go to her, but she lifted her hand to stop him. “Please, just let me finish.” Wiping away the tear, she held his stare and continued. “I can’t believe I’m telling you all this. I’ve never uttered any of this to a living soul, but then again, he made sure to keep me away from anyone else.” She closed her eyes.

  She stood and gripped the edge of her shirt. He wasn’t sure what she was doing, but when she revealed her belly and the jagged scar that ran beside her belly button, sickness took him over.

  “This was my punishment for trying to get away.” She lowered her eyes and let her shirt drop back in place. “My other wounds have healed, and the bruises have disappeared. I wanted you to know the truth, because we are—”

  “Mates.”

  Kenzie lifted her eyes to his, and he said it more slowly, so she knew he meant that one word more than anything else. And that she knew exactly how important she was to him.

  “You’re my mate, and nothing you can say about your past will make me want you any less.” He smelled the subtle scent of one of the reasons she told him all that was because she thought he wouldn’t want her anymore. Another shifter might not have been able to pick up on the slight change in smell, but he was more animal than man, and because of that, he sensed it powerfully.

  Bram let go of the table, and a piece of wood fell onto the floor.

  “You’re mine, Kenzie, and I’ll say it over and over again until you realize it is the truth.” He moved closer to her until only a foot separated them. “I’ll keep saying it until every fucking person on this planet knows it.” He was on edge again, itching for a fight, and wished he could hold her and make her pain go away. “I can’t really make myself any clearer, Kenzie. All I can tell you is that being my mate is not something I take lightly, and certainly not something I am willing to ignore.” He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek, a guttural groan leaving him when she closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. “I’m not going to let you go, because I want you too fucking bad, baby, and because you’re mine to protect and cherish.”

  If he sensed for one moment that his words were too much for her, that his alphaness was going over the line, he would have backed the fuck off, but all he sensed was her inner animal growing soft and giving. She wanted this, and no matter how bad her life had been, she trusted him in the way mates did with each other.

  Knowing how she felt toward him, Bram didn’t want to deny himself any longer. He leaned in close and stopped just an inch from her mouth. Their eyes were locked, and he waited until he saw her acceptance in her gaze and the slight nod before he pressed his mouth against hers.

  He took her lips in a kiss, softly at first, waiting to gauge her reaction. He wanted to show her how gentle he could be. At first, he just caressed her lips with his, but the desire to take more from her was too strong.

  When she didn’t push him away, he went a bit further. Sliding his tongue along the seam of her lips was a sensory overload as he tasted the flavor of her flesh. She was sweet and addictive, and he couldn’t stop, wouldn’t even if his life depended on it. Kenzie was hesitant at first but soon opened her mouth and allowed him entry, and Bram took it all.

  Slipping into the warm, wet cavern of her mouth had a grunt of pleasure leaving him, and when she moved her tongue along his, he hardened even further. The lounge pants offered little obstruction as he moved closer to her and pressed his cock into the soft swell of her belly.

  The scent of her arousal coated him and brought him to new heights, so Bram didn’t stop his bear from rising to the surface and experiencing this right along with him.

  “I want this so bad, Kenzie.” He broke the kiss and trailed his lips over her cheek and down her neck. “I want you so bad, more than I’ve ever wanted anything or anyone before. I just don’t want to go too fast, push you too far, and have you running from me.”

  Her answering moan and the way she gripped his biceps, as if she thought he would leave, told him she wanted this too.

  “All you have to do is tell me that this is okay.” Nipping and licking at her throat had Bram’s pulse beating frantically at the tip of his dick. “That I can go further, and I promise I’ll be gentle.” He ran his tongue up the length of her throat and then moved it back down again. “I’ll make it good for you.” He slid his hands down her back and over the full mounds of her ass. “And I’ll make sure I am the only male you think of.”

  Curling his fingers into her soft, generous ass, Bram felt his shaft grow even harder. God, he really was a bastard for even wanting this from her right after she told him about her abuse, but he needed to help her wipe away the memories of the panther and replace them with only ones of him. He didn’t do any more than kiss her slowly, waiting for her to give her permission to go further.

  “I don’t know how this will end up, but I do know I’ve never felt like this in my life, Bram.” He pulled back and looked down at her. In a soft voice, she said, “I want to forget about him, and I want you to be the male to help me with that.” He stared into her eyes, feeling a gentle part of him rise up, one he’d never felt or experienced before. “I want to give you the one part of me I’ve never given to anyone else… the one part Rook didn’t steal from me.”

  The air left him violently at her words.

  As he pressed his hips forward, the fresh scent of her pussy called to the male in him. It wasn’t lost on him that her scarred past made her delicate and vulnerable, but showing her, telling her that he fucking needed her, that she was it for him, and that he would do everything in his power to ensure she knew that, eased the human and bear within him.

  That asshole’s time was coming, and when he faced off with Bram, because there was no doubt the panther would come after Kenzie, Bram would let his bear out at full-force and finally bring his girl peace.

  “Bram.” She sighed and let her head fall back, and he continued to lick her like she was the best-tasting treat in the whole fucking world. “I do want this. I do want you, but I can’t.” She put her hands on his chest, and he dragged his teeth up her neck.

  Her breathing was haggard and rushed, and he knew that if he pushed her just a bit more, she’d give into him, but that wasn’t what he wanted, and that wasn’t how he was going to get her under him. It took a lot of strength for him to take a step back, because he badly wanted to be buried deep inside her body, but he and his bear were in agreement that rushing her was not the answer.

  Before she could pull fully away from him, he sank to his knees in front of her and held her hips loosely in his hands. He was not letting her go. She was his.

  17

  Staring up at her showed him that Kenzie wore an expression of shock.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. Her throat worked as she swallowed, and he smelled her confusion.

  Bram had never gotten on his knees for anyone, let alone a female, but Kenzie was something different, something special.

  He grabbed the edge of her shirt. It was one of his and far too big for her body. He couldn’t help but smile at the little knot she made out of the edge of the material to make it less baggy. He lifted the hem up, and she stopped his hands by placing hers over his.

  “I know I’m asking a lot—fuck, I know I am—but trust me like you’ve never trusted any other person, and I promise I won’t ever disappoint you.”

  It took he
r several seconds before she removed her hands slowly and let them fall to her sides. Bram resumed lifting her shirt up until the scar she revealed earlier was visible.

  His vision turned red at the old injury, but instead of showing her his anger and pain that he hadn’t been there to protect her, he leaned forward and ran his tongue along the length of it.

  She tensed, most likely wondering what the fuck he was doing, but Bram was intent on showing her that there was nothing he didn’t like about her. To him, she was perfect in every conceivable way. He kissed her over and over again, keeping his hands on her waist, feeling her smooth, warm skin beneath his palms, and wishing things had been so much different.

  He moved his tongue along her belly until she relaxed once again and placed her hands on his shoulders. The scar tissue was raised beneath his tongue, but that just made him lick her more slowly and thoroughly. He vowed to himself, and would soon do the same to her, that once she was naked and in his bed, he would drag his tongue over every inch of her, memorizing her body the way it deserved, the way she deserved.

  “I wish I could take it all away.” And he did, with every fiber of his being. “I’m sorry he hurt you.” He continued kissing her until his lips were numb and she trembled against him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to make sure you were safe.” He moved his hands in slowly so that he was now framing the scar. “I just want you to know you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

  Pulling back and lifting just his eyes to her, he saw the fresh stream of tears falling down her cheeks. But despite her tears, there was no sadness, only a profound understanding that what he said was the truth.

  “There is no need to run from me.” He stood and took both of her hands in his. “Instead, let’s go shopping, because I know girls like to do that shit.” He smiled, changing the mood to something lighter, because he wanted—no, he needed—to see her smile. She gave him what he wanted, and his heart thumped against his chest as her lips curved slightly.