Bear to the Rescue (Bear Claw Security Book 3)

by Terry Bolryder

  Though he’d always hoped for the hot-as-hell-in-bed part.

  He turned to look at her, still stubbornly clutching the sheet as she waited for his answer.

  There had to be a reason she was saying no to commitment. Women, people, didn’t just not want a relationship for no reason. He just needed time to get to know her, to figure out what was worrying her, and reassure her he wouldn’t be the type to do whatever it was she was afraid of.

  He would be a loyal mate. A kind one. A protector. He didn’t see the problem. And he didn’t think he would if he walked away now and kept their relationship only business.

  Whereas, if he kept sharing this thing with her, even though it was only a tiny piece of the intimacy he wanted, then he at least had a chance to get closer to her. A chance for her to see what he saw—that they were probably mates, improbable as that might have seemed at the beginning.

  They were as opposite as they could possibly be, yet Bronson felt he wouldn’t change anything about her.

  He walked back and sat on the bed in a slump. “Okay,” he said.

  “Okay what?” she asked, snapping that sharp gaze to him.

  “Okay,” he said. “You can use me.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “And you won’t hold it against me? You won’t hate me for claiming your precious bod against your will?”

  “It won’t be against my will, sweetheart. If I had my way, you’d be on my face again, right now.”

  Her eyes widened, and he grinned.

  “But I have some things to work on, and I’m guessing you do, too.”

  She nodded. “I do.”

  Plus, he needed some time away from her before he grabbed her again.

  “The living room is yours. You can use the TV or the computer or whatever else. Anything in the fridge is yours as well. Your room is down the hall. I’ll move your stuff over there in a second. If you need anything, I’ll be here.”

  She frowned, looking almost like she didn’t want to leave him. That had to be a good sign. Since they’d worked together, she’d always looked at him like she couldn’t wait for him to be gone.

  “All right,” she said, standing and pulling on the clothes he’d torn off.

  All he wanted to do was grab her in his arms and pull her against him, cuddle her all night and act like this was already something that could last forever.

  That he could call her mate and let her hear it.

  But as she hummed to herself and headed out of his room with a wave, he realized this really was how she wanted it. And he’d have to respect it for now.

  He’d just have to be so good at what they did together that she’d never want to let go.

  * * *

  The next morning, Bronson woke to the sound of Regan knocking on his door. It wasn’t like him not to be up first thing in the morning, even if he usually got into the office later than Cage or Limes.

  He rubbed his eyes and pulled on a tee to go with the pajama bottoms he slept in.

  He opened the door and looked down blearily at Regan, who looked fresh and showered and ready. He’d helped her move into the room she’d be staying in, even though the whole time, all he could think about was how much better she’d fit in his room. With him.

  “I need to get something at my place before work,” she said, looking at her phone impatiently. “How long are you going to sleep in?”

  He stretched. “I’m a big guy. I need my sleep.”

  “Well, I need to get things done, so sleep at work if you’re still drowsy. Come on.” She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the hall, and he liked the feel of it.

  He laughed.

  “Okay, just let me change,” he said. “Be out in a minute.” He threw on clothes, ran a hand through his hair, put on socks and shoes, and walked out into the living room. He sniffed around for breakfast but was disappointed when she simply handed him a protein shake.

  “I want toast,” he said, looking at the kitchen.

  “No time,” she said. “It’s almost eight.”

  He groaned. “Breakfast is a basic human right.”

  “For people who wake up before noon,” she said.

  “We’re going to have to work out this breakfast difference,” he grumbled, “if we’re going to live together.”

  “As I told you, this is temporary, so that won’t be a problem,” she snapped back. But at least there was a smile in her tone.

  “We’ll see,” he said. “I don’t know how you’ll live without me.”

  “I’m sure I’ll manage,” she said dryly. “Anyway, I’d really like to be at the office on time. If we aren’t…” She folded her arms. “They’ll talk about us.”

  Comprehension dawned. “Ah. You’re worried if we’re late, they’ll think we…”

  She bit her lip, and it made him want to sweep her up and carry her back into the bedroom again. But he didn’t think that would go over very well.

  “Well, they won’t, because they’re used to me coming in a bit late. But yeah, we’ll go.” He jingled his keys. “Wouldn’t want you to get uncomfortable. What do we need from your place?”

  She told him as they walked down his front drive to his Charger. As they drove to her place, she told him she’d slept just fine in his guest room and kept the conversation to mostly small talk until they pulled up in front of the apartment complex.

  He felt a prickle of unease as she got out of the car and told him to wait there.

  Like hell he would.

  He got out and followed her up the front steps, his senses on high alert. He reached out and caught her by the arm just as she was about to put her key in the door lock.

  “Wait,” he said.

  “Hey,” she said. “I didn’t invite you up…”

  “You didn’t need to. I’m your bodyguard.”

  “Uninvited bodyguard,” she muttered.

  “Nonetheless, I’m rather attached to your body, so I’m determined to guard it. And something feels off about this.”

  “Now that you mention it,” she said, “maybe so.” She stepped behind him as he reached for the door handle. As he’d thought, it wasn’t locked like it should have been.

  He pushed it open slightly, looked inside, and then blanched and turned to block it from her sight. “Don’t look in there. Let me call some people.”

  “No,” she said sharply, pushing past him. He let her go because he had no right to keep her from her own place, but he stayed right next to her, keeping a hand on her arm as she let out an anguished cry at the state of her apartment.

  “Regan, it’s okay,” he said.

  “No, it’s not!” she said. “Look what they’ve done!”

  It was disgusting. He could survey the full damage of it as he stepped in and turned on the lights.

  Her clothing was strewn about. Her underwear and other lacy things cut and ripped and tossed about. Lipstick had been used to draw epithets on the walls.

  Her beloved computer equipment she’d told him about was trashed, thrown all around.

  They hadn’t been here to steal anything. They’d been here to send a message. To terrify.

  Well, they’d sent a message loud and clear all right. A message that Bronson needed to hunt down and hurt whoever did this.

  Regan walked to the center of the living room and fell to one knee, surveying the damage. It was the first time he’d seen her be anything but strong, and it destroyed him. He walked over to her and picked her up by the shoulders, helping her stand.

  As he pulled her in against his chest and held her there, tucking her head in against him, he wished he could make it all go away.

  He could replace everything she’d lost with his money. It wouldn’t even put a dent in everything he had. But it wouldn’t take away the violation she was feeling, the complete loss of her own space, and things she’d worked hard for. Things that were supposed to be hers alone.

  “I’m sorry, Regan. I didn’t think they’d come after your stuff.”

&
nbsp; Her hands sank into his back, holding tight like he were a lifeline. It pleased him that she was so easily depending on him. Maybe they weren’t in a relationship, but something had changed after their night together.

  There was a trust there, a friendship blooming if nothing else.

  The bear in him understood what she needed at that moment and simply wanted to comfort.

  “What if I’d been here last night?” she asked. “Do you think they would have been too cowardly to come in? Do you think they only had the guts to do this because I was gone?”

  He didn’t say anything because he didn’t know what to say. He thought maybe she was over-guessing how cowardly they really were. In his opinion, men who picked on women were already about as cowardly as it could get, so he had no idea how to gauge how much worse they were on top of that.

  But as someone who worked in personal security, he was tempted not to give anyone the benefit of the doubt.

  He wouldn’t put anything past these men. Not with Regan’s safety on the line.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m sorry if leaving made them do this. But I’m not sorry I brought you to my place, because it’s not worth the risk if anything happened to you had you stayed. Even if your stuff had been safe. You’re what matters, Regan. The rest can be fixed.”

  She glared up at him. “Maybe for you. This was my whole life. I’ve worked hard for this. You’ve had everything given to you, so you couldn’t possibly know how I feel.” She pushed away from him halfheartedly. “I know that isn’t fair. I’m just bummed.”

  He pulled her against him again. “You’re right. I can’t possibly know how you feel. Not unless you tell me.”

  “You’re a nice guy, Bronson,” she said. “I’m starting to believe that, at least in some ways. But I told you this already, and I’ll say it again. You’re wasting time trying to get anywhere with me. I don’t want anything like that. I don’t want a mate. Not with a bear.”

  That piqued his interested. “So you would, with a human?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it now.”

  He suppressed a growl. He damn well wanted to talk about it now, but looking around her house, he knew he should follow her lead. All of her rights had been violated. She didn’t need anyone else pushing on her.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “But can we just drop it and go to work?” she asked.

  “Do you want to call the police?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want more people going through my stuff. Asking questions.” She looked at him. “You think we can just wait?”

  “Sure,” he said. “Whatever you want. In fact, that would probably be better. Let’s go back to the office and have a talk with the other partners and see what they think.”

  “Yeah.” She surveyed the wreckage with a sad face one more time. “After all, I really don’t think we’ll find fingerprints. And I just can’t deal with this right now.” She walked over to a lacy piece of torn clothing and then let it slip through her fingers. “I’ll need new things.”

  “I’ll take you shopping,” he said.

  She gave him a reluctant half grin. “Not sure it’s the kind of shopping I’d want to do with you there.”

  “Not sure you have a choice. I’m not letting you out of my sight when we aren’t at Bear Claw. Not with someone who could do this out on the loose.”

  She gave him a sideways look, like she was going to argue with him. Then she shrugged and flashed him a small smile.

  She grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Thanks for the help. With everything. I know I’m not the easiest person to deal with.”

  He scratched his head and followed her to the front door. “Not the worst either, though.” A slight grin touched the corners of his mouth, and he thought about just how much he enjoyed spending time with her, even before all of this happened.

  She stopped at the door, looking out warily, and he put an arm around her, pulling her out into the light with him.

  “I promise I’m going to protect you, Regan. I failed to protect your stuff, but I won’t fail to protect you.”

  She shrugged as she turned back to lock the door behind them. “It won’t be your fault if you do,” she said. “It wasn’t your business in the first place.”

  But she was wrong. A low rumble in his chest assured him.

  She was definitely his business. And he was going to make sure she was safe. And whoever did this was going to pay.

  He cracked his knuckles and swore that to himself silently.

  Chapter 6

  Bronson charged into the front office of Bear Claw Security with Regan following behind him.

  Cage looked up from his spot behind the front desk where he’d been talking with his mate, Carrie, and gave Bronson an expression of concern.

  “What’s going on?” He checked his watch. “You’re early.” His dark, sapphire eyes moved between Bronson and Regan, and a dim light of suspicion registered there.

  “We have a problem,” Bronson said, looking toward the back offices. “Is Hercules in?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Then I assume he told you about what we’re dealing with?” Bronson gestured to Regan. “And what happened in the garage yesterday?”

  “Yeah, he said someone was out there. And I’ve been extra careful with Carrie. But he didn’t give details beyond that.”

  Carrie stood up, her eyes softening as she looked at Regan. “You want to go talk?”

  “Something happened this morning,” Bronson said seriously, rubbing a hand through his tousled blond hair. “Well, it could have been last night. Not exactly sure. But someone broke into Regan’s house and messed up her stuff.”

  “Gotcha,” Cage said. “Let’s go talk.”

  Bronson nodded, all business, and Regan couldn’t help but like how professional he looked when he was working. Whenever he got even close to this building, she saw a part of him turn on that wasn’t there at any other time. Brisk, efficient, serious, and cool.

  This place clearly meant a lot to him. For it, he put away the playful side, the stressed side, or any other emotion and simply got to work on whatever was needed.

  Even when she’d resented him for being a too-sexy playboy, she’d appreciated that about him.

  She understood having a job that meant everything. What she didn’t understand was walking away from a family who was clearly willing and able to give everything.

  But she needed to stop thinking about things like that. She and Bronson were just sex partners. Nothing else, no matter how much he might want that to happen. He just didn’t understand they weren’t really compatible. He was the opposite of what she wanted long term, and she would only make him miserable with her emotional distance and inability to trust.

  Yes, they were explosively compatible in bed, but that was all they had.

  “I’m going to go talk to Cage,” Bronson said. “Do you want to run the front desk with Carrie?”

  “Shouldn’t I come with? Talk to you about possible subjects?”

  “You can, but first, I need some time to talk alone. About things that involve the business. We’ll call you in after if we need you.”

  Regan looked at the front door, unable to suppress a shiver. “Can that thing lock?”

  Cage looked at her. He had dark hair and blue eyes and was extremely striking. But for some reason, he didn’t intimidate her like Bronson did. “It can. I don’t think whoever is bothering you will try to come in. Generally, no one but clients comes up to knock. But I’ll send Hercules out to watch the front desk with you, too, obviously.”

  She bit back a pent-up sigh and nodded. Carrie gave her a look that she couldn’t discern. Probably worried about her.

  Bronson looked over at her, ocean-blue eyes soft and intense, and she gave him a casual wave and looked away, hoping the blush on her face wasn’t plain as day.

  She walked over to sit at the desk next to Carrie and booted up a computer she could pl
ay on.

  “So a lot is happening all at once, huh?” Carrie asked in a soft voice. She had a soft look overall, with her grey-blue eyes and fluffy brown hair that was pulled into a loose ponytail.

  “Yeah,” Regan said, propping her booted feet on the desk in front of her. “I guess so.” Then she took her feet down and sat forward, feeling restless. “What do you know about Bronson?”

  “Not much,” Carrie said, pushing hair behind her ear. “I mean, he’s always been nice to me. Accepted me right into the business. And well, he and Limes helped Cage take down some people that were trying to hurt me. But I don’t really know him.” She giggled quietly. “I mean, I have enough trouble on my hands handling Cage. I don’t need to deal with two alphas.”

  “That’s a fine-looking man,” Regan said. Then before Carrie could take it the wrong way, she added, “But, yeah, you two are adorable. I’m just not like that, you know? And Bronson is.”

  “Like what?” Carrie asked, pushing back from the desk and looking indignant. She wore a white button-up that tucked into a brown tweed skirt and had several silver bracelets on her pale-white skin.

  Regan didn’t know how she could be much more different from the woman across from her if she tried. “Committed,” she said reluctantly. “I just don’t think it’s in me.”

  “You don’t think it’s in you, or you don’t think men can commit?”

  Regan blinked, shocked by how close the other woman had come to figuring her out. “I don’t know. Why do you say that?”

  Carrie tapped her fingers on the desk. “I had troubles with that, too, with Cage. I mean, we knew each other as children, but we both had a rough upbringing, and he left town to take care of some things, and I didn’t know if he’d come back. And when he did, I wasn’t sure I wanted to give up a life that I’d made in order to take a chance on him when he could leave again.”

  “I just don’t think bears can commit,” Regan said with a shrug. “I mean, look at them in the wild.”

  Carrie shook her head. “I don’t know. I know Cage waited years for only me. It’s like he can’t even see other women.” She glanced back in the direction of the office where Cage and Bronson were talking. “I mean, maybe you’re giving too much credence to the bear side of them and not the man side.”