Matthew (BBW Country Music Bear Shifter Romance) (Bearly Saints Book 1)

by Becca Fanning

  With a sickening thud and the squeal of crumpling metal, Zoe's tiny car crashed into the bear. He dented the front right quarter panel, shattering her headlight before rolling into the windshield. Already weakened from the gunfire, it shattered under his weight, the frame in front of Russ bending inwards. And then just as quickly as he'd been on the front of the car, the shifter was gone, rolling over the hood and denting it. Then he was on the ground, still, as Zoe guided the car out of the parking lot, into the gloom. They drove in silence, Zoe's hands shaking on the wheel, one headlight piercing the night.

  They hadn't gone far before Zoe's little red car shuddered. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened. In fact, she couldn't remember any time her car had acted up. Despite its appearance, it was a trooper. And now, something those shifters had done had hurt it.

  “We need to pull over somewhere with a payphone. I'll call a couple of my guys and we'll have them come pick us up. I don't think your car is going to make it, Doc.”

  “It'll make it,” she snapped, but pulled off into a gas station parking lot with an ancient payphone out front. She dug through her change and handed him some. From inside of her car, she watched Russ clutch the doctor's coat as he used the phone.

  He was back in the car less than only a minute later. “I got in touch with one of my guys. I couldn't hear much of what he was saying, but it looks like someone is targeting those who have helped shifters previously.”

  “Yeah, I helped out a couple a few weeks ago at the hospital. I didn't know this was going to happen, though.”

  “We need to get somewhere with a better connection and I'll get us a ride.”

  “My house isn't far from here. It's just a few blocks off the interstate,” Zoe said, peering through her windshield. The snow was really starting to come down, now, way more than the forecast had projected.

  Russ considered it for a few moments. “That might not be a good idea. If those shifters are after you, they might know where you live. They could be watching us. Still, we might not have a better option right now.”

  Zoe was silent, letting Russ think some more. “Let's head to your house. After what we did to those two back at the hospital, I think we've bought ourselves some time, Doc.”

  “Can you knock it off with this Doc stuff? It's Zoe,” she stated, irritated and turning off the interstate. She guided them through nice residential areas, rolling through stop lights. The city was deserted.

  “Yeah, sure, Zoe. No disrespect meant. We're both doctors, we're supposed to be friends.”

  “Hmphh.”

  “How much farther until we're at your place?”

  “It's just right up here, at the end of this road.”

  “Okay, let's go slow,” Russ said. “No, not that slow. Try not to be suspicious. Okay, that's better. A little bit faster. Faster. No, no, too fast.”

  “Do you want to drive, Doc?” Zoe blurted. Her answer was another of Russ's laughs. She still found them grating, still found him grating, but she had to admit, that laugh was wearing her down. Somehow, it still had levity and real joy. Despite everything, Russ was happy. She wasn't sure how he could be in a situation such as this. Zoe realized she envied him. She was scared for her life, and Russ thought it was all some hilarious joke.

  “Okay, it looks clear. Once we get to your house, give me the keys. I'll go in and scope the place out. I'll be able to smell anyone around your property, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. You stay in the car.”

  They pulled up into her driveway, Zoe's poor car barely making it up the small slope. It was shuddering and spitting, but thankfully not smoking, when she finally turned it off and handed the keys to Russ. He immediately went inside, searching her house. She got out of the car, trying to see how much damage had been done in the darkness. She couldn't see everything, but it was bad. The grill was riddled with bullet holes and while she was no mechanic, she suspected the engine had taken some serious fire. She feared it would never run again.

  “You should have stayed in the car,” Russ said from behind her. She gave a little jump at his voice. “It could have been dangerous out here.”

  “I thought you said you would be able to smell if there were any intruders.”

  “Yeah, good point. It's safe, let's get in and get out of the cold,” Russ said, motioning for her to lead, her doctor's coat looking ridiculous and tight on his large body.

  Inside, the first thing Zoe did was turn the heat up. For everything her old car did right – or used to, she realized – heating the inside of the vehicle was not one of them. Every now and then she'd get a blast of hot air, but those were few and far between.

  “Can I use your phone?”

  “It's in the kitchen,” said Zoe, showing him. She waited as he dialed the number, hearing the quiet rings before the phone went to voice-mail. He tried two other numbers, but no one picked up.

  “Odd,” Russ said, putting the phone back up. “I'm not surprised Jace wouldn't pick up his phone, and Clive's been pretty busy lately, but I can't believe there's no one at the HQ to answer the phone. I hope everything is okay. Especially with everything going on.”

  “It's getting pretty late, Russ. Maybe they're busy, or in bed, or something.”

  He shrugged. “I guess that could be it. We can lay low here for a few hours. Get a shower, a change of clothes, some rest. Then we're heading to the HQ so I can figure out what's going on. And figure out why you're being targeted and by who.”

  Zoe had somehow convinced Russ that he should take the main bathroom and that she could use the guest bathroom downstairs. Once she got down to the guest bathroom and stripped, however, she'd realized that she had forgot to grab any of her soap, shampoo, or moisturizers. She wrapped a towel around herself and headed upstairs.

  When she reached her room, she made sure to knock before going in. Remembering how embarrassed she'd been when Russ had walked in on her, she wanted to avoid returning the favor. There was no answer, so she slowly cracked the door and peaked in. Her bedroom was deserted. The door to her bathroom was cracked, hot steam billowing out in waves. She'd heard that shifters were less sensitive to temperatures, and she figured this proved it.

  She knocked on the door but heard no answer. The shower must be too loud, she reasoned. “Russ?” she called. No answer. “Russ??” A little louder. Nothing. She felt her heart beating. He was gone. Maybe those shifters had broken in and gotten him. Was she next? “Russ???” she yelled at the top of her lungs. There was no answer for a few seconds, then the shower turned off.

  “Zoe? Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the water. Is everything okay?”

  She placed her forehead on the door, trying to still her beating heart. “Things are fine. I need to borrow some shampoo. I forgot to grab any before I headed down. I can leave the room. Can you put them on the other side of the door and I'll grab them?”

  “Zoe, you have nearly 30 bottles of shampoo in here. Special moisturizing cream? Shampoo for split ends? What is all this stuff? Come in and I'll hand you whatever you need.”

  She came into the bathroom, the steam thick on the air. She considered what she needed, then listed them off to Russ. She gasped when she saw his naked form through the foggy window to the shower. She couldn't see anything for sure, but she liked what she saw. She saw the faintest hint of what was between his legs before he handed her the bottles of the top of the shower. She reached up, grabbing for the bottles, their fingers touching for a split second. It felt like electricity was flowing between them: she wanted to fling the door open and hop under the warm spray, let him take her however he wanted. Instead, she dropped a couple of the bottles on the ground, picking them up with one hand while trying to keep her towel on with the other.

  “You okay?” he asked, cracking the door open. He looked out, eyes drinking in her body barely covered by the towel. His golden eyes paused when they reached her breasts and the bottom of the towel, covering her ass by mere threads.

  “Yeah, I just dr
opped the bottles, is all. I'm going to need to come back in here once I'm done to do my hair and finish getting ready for bed.”

  “Okay, if I'm not out, just knock and let me know,” he said, shutting the door and turning the shower back on full blast.

  “Okay,” she said, watching him for a few moments longer. She tried to keep her eyes level with where his head would be, but right as she turned away, she tried to catch a peek of him below the waist. It was too late: the steam had fully covered the door again.

  All of the way downstairs, Zoe wondered about Russ and what he would have done if she would have jumped in with him. Would he have turned her away? She was unsure, but didn't think so… the way he had looked at her in her towel, she thought he may have liked what he had seen.

  Why was she interested in him? Was it because he was a doctor? Or at least, claimed to be? Or was it because he was a heavily muscled man, who was strong, smart, and sexy, if just a little bit hairy? Or was it just because she hadn't been with a man for so long? As she turned the shower on, she reasoned it might have been all of the above. Whatever the reason, she couldn't deny she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. And if she wasn't careful, being with these shifters would burn her up.

  Zoe had stayed under the spray of water until she was pruned and looked like a raisin. She dried off, putting her hair up in another towel and returning upstairs. She knocked on the doors again, hearing Russ yell, “Come in!”

  She moved into her bathroom, watching Russ. He was standing at the mirror, a towel around his waist, combing his hair. His body rippled with muscles. She had seen him naked before, outside of the hospital, but hadn't had the chance to really appreciate the man in front of her.

  “Wow,” she muttered, moving a hand to her mouth in embarrassment. She hadn't meant to say anything.

  He laughed again, her defenses falling farther. “And just think, out of all of the shifters in my Clan, I'm the scrawny one.”

  “You're the scrawny one?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. “You should introduce me to your friends if they have better bodies than you.”

  She'd meant it as a joke, but his voice was guarded. “I'm the brains of our Clan. It's almost a stereotype, actually. Brains versus brawn. Guess which one every shifter wants their son to be?”

  “I was just kidding, Russ. I didn't mean anything by it. If it makes you feel better, I would rather be with someone that's smart and cares about others.”

  She came close to him, their bodies nearly touching. She hesitated, but raised a hand, trailing a finger down his back, from his neck all of the way down to the towel. He shuddered in pleasure.

  “You seem fine to me. Sorry for what I said,” she said. Glancing at his reflection in the mirror, she watched Russ perk up. In more ways than one, she saw. “You can pillage my closet for something that fits you. I have plenty of hospital stuff I got for free. You know how that kind of stuff only comes in extra-large. Some of it is bound to fit you.”

  “I'll wait downstairs for you,” he said, turning to leave the bathroom. She moved in front of him, blocking his exit. They stood close. Zoe looked up at him, standing on her tip toes to plant a slow, warm kiss on his lips. He kissed back, passionately, warmth flowing over her body. And then he broke the kiss. “You don't want to get involved with me. It's dangerous.”

  He left her standing alone in the bathroom, breath heaving in lust. She had wanted him. She had almost had him. She could tell that Russ was a man who cared about others. Who helped others. But he was someone who couldn't let himself be helped. She feared he would keep pushing her away, claiming it was for her own good, while he suffered. Luckily, she was good at helping others.

  She found Russ standing in the living room, peering out through an open window. He wore a pair of gray sweat pants with her hospital's logo on one leg and a large T shirt that was two sizes too large even for him, the back emblazoned with a cheerful smiley face and the words, Thanks for seeing us! Hope we don't see you soon! Wrapped around it. Not her favorite motto for the hospital, but it cracked her boss up.

  “I think we're good for the night,” Russ said, back to business.

  “Those clothes look good on you,” Zoe teased.

  “Not my usual style, I'll admit.”

  “I'd like to see you in your usual style. How about after all of this blows over, you take me out for some dinner?”

  “Thanks for the offer, Zoe. But you know I can't. My line of work… my life… it's dangerous. I don't want you to get caught up in this any more than you already are. You can head up to bed. I'll keep watch out here.”

  “I would feel safer if you would watch from my room,” Zoe offered, wondering if her attempt to get Russ into her room would work. To her surprise, he nodded.

  They went back up to her room. With a sigh, Zoe watched as the shifter moved towards her open window, peering out into her yard. The snow was still falling lightly, the wind howling against the window. Zoe climbed under her thick covers, the warmth washing over her.

  “You don't have to stay up there watching all night. You need to get some rest. You'll be able to smell anyone that comes close, right?”

  “Yeah, you're right. Do you have an extra pillow and blanket? I can sleep on the floor.”

  She did, of course, but she said, “This is it. We can share the same bed. It's big enough.”

  Russ raised an eyebrow at her. He knew it was a lie, but said nothing. He moved over to the bed, peeling the shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor beside him. He crawled under the covers and for the first time since she'd bought her bed, she wished she had bought a smaller size. Despite his huge size, Russ was still far away from her. So close, yet so far away, flashed through her mind.

  “Okay, don't go getting familiar during the middle of the night. I'm a good girl,” Zoe teased, curling up next to him.

  She heard his laugh, happy and relaxed. He snuggled under the covers and she reached a hand out, placing it on his toned stomach. To her surprise, she felt his fingers intertwine in her own. All of the excitement of the day washed over her, and she was out in seconds.

  *

  Zoe awoke to movement beside her. She smiled when she felt Russ's toned stomach slide out from under her hand. Weak sunlight shone through the open window, snow falling softly. With a yawn and a stretch, she pulled herself out of bed.

  “Morning.”

  “Morning. How'd you sleep?”

  “Better than I thought I could have,” was Zoe's reply. She felt well rested, refreshed, the worries of yesterday washed away. She knew there would be plenty of worries today, but she tried not to let that bother her. No use ruining the whole day mere minutes after waking up.

  Russ sat down on the edge of the bed, his baggy clothes pulled over his body. He picked up the phone, dialing the number to the building. There was no answer. Likewise, no answer from Clive. Zoe watched the concern deepening on Russ's face. He tried Jace as a last resort.

  He answered almost immediately. Even from her position on the other side of the bed, she could hear the worry in his voice. “Hello? This isn't a good time.”

  “Jace, it's me. Russ. What's going on?”

  “Shit, Russ. We've been looking all over for you. We've been attacked. Another Clan of shifters is targeting the clients we've helped, the families of our clients, and us. We've lost a lot of people already. We need your help, there are a lot of hurt people down here.”

  “Is everyone alright?”

  “No. Walt's dead. Austin's dead. Derrick's not going to make it. Beth, some of the other girls… they're in bad shape, Russ. Clive can't even function right now. We need you here, now.”

  “We're on our way,” Russ stated, hanging up the phone. “Grab any medical supplies you have here. Grab your keys. We'll drive your car as far as it can go, then we'll run.”

  Zoe was dressed within a matter of seconds. She reached into her closet, grabbing three large bags of medical supplies: gauze, tape, bandages, thread, needles, IV packe
ts, and tubes, anything she could get her hands on at the hospital. She'd hoped she'd never need them, but time for that was over.

  Russ grabbed two of the bags, one in his hand and the other under his armpit. He grabbed the keys, running down the stairs three at a time. Zoe could barely keep up with him. When she got outside, he already had the car started. She had no idea how he managed it, but it was chugging along, coughing, but it was running. The bags were tossed in the back seat and Russ was using his large hands to scoop large armfuls of snow off of the car. Some snow had leaked through the windshield, but the interior was mostly dry.

  Zoe hopped in the passenger seat right as Russ dropped into the driver's seat. He slid the seat back and she winced as she heard a crack, this seat definitely broken. It wouldn't matter, anyway. She knew this was the last ride for her old car. Russ gave her an apologetic look, shrugging and telling her, Whoops. I'm sorry.