Bear Shifters of Alaska: Three Book Bundle

by Jenny Brex

  “I don’t appreciate you judging me, lady. Where’s Hank? At least he doesn’t give me that kind of look when I’m here.”

  “Whatever,” she said walking toward the register to ring in the order. “He’s at the hospital visiting King. You know the big bear that comes in here time to time? He was…”

  The bartender turned around, but the customer was already gone.

  The second the word hospital slipped past the bartender’s lips, Lexi was out the door. There wasn’t one close by, so she’d be in the car for a while.

  Lexi gunned the accelerator and barreled down the highway. She’d get there as fast as she was able. Her stomach knotted and twisted. Why was he in the hospital? What happened? She should have been there. No wonder he didn’t answer his phone. If something happened…

  She tried to keep calm, but her nerves were rattled. Hot tears streamed down her face. Lexi wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and kept driving. She had to see him. Had to get to him. Had to make sure he was okay.

  Chapter 16

  King Carson had always been a guy that women loved, and in the hospital it was no exception. Ever since he’d been admitted, the nurses gathered around him like honey-bees. It wasn’t a raw deal having so many sweet and friendly women around. Young, old, thin, plump, he liked them all. While he was a loner a good deal of the time, he always had time for women.

  Getting hit by a drunk driver certainly wasn’t good for him, but being laid up and getting multiple sponge baths took away a lot of the pain. Helga VonSchmidt was a little rough around the edges when it was her turn, but she was good at what she did. The others were quite tender and gentle with him. Of all of them, he figured Helga was probably the wildcat in bed.

  Lexi rushed into the hospital. The strong scent of bleach and cleanser hit her in the face as she entered. She crinkled her nose adjusting to the smell.

  She made a quick stop at the admissions desk to get King’s room number. After thanking the volunteer, Lexi darted for the elevator. Tapping her shoe and waiting for the elevator doors to open, she tried to calm her anxious nerves. Once she made it to his floor, she shot down the hallway in search of his room.

  Finally, at his door, she bounded inside. “Oh, thank goodness. There you are.”

  “Oh, hey,” he said, a bit distracted and mostly naked.

  “What are you doing?” Lexi eyes grew large. She stared at the nurse and where her hand was located. “Get out! Get out of here.”

  The woman shook her head. She glared at the intruder, then left.

  “Wait, I was getting my last sponge bath for the day. It helps me sleep,” he said.

  “For the day? How many are you getting a day?” She bit her lower lip, almost not wanting to hear.

  “I get three a day, one after breakfast, one after lunch, and one after dinner. Why?” He was confused by the commotion.

  Lexi groaned. “When my father was in the hospital, he got one every three to four days. Does your doctor know about this? They’re taking advantage…”

  “That was my doctor you just chased out of here,” he mumbled.

  She paced at the bottom of his hospital bed. “What happened? I was worried about you. You didn’t show up at your appeal hearing, and when I called your phone you didn’t answer. Next thing I know I’m at your house, but you weren’t there. Finally, I went into town to get a bite to eat and asked where Hank was…”

  “Oh, he just left. Yeah, wow, sorry about that. You went to my court date?”

  She looked down. “About that, you realize being a no-show means you lost the appeal.”

  “Yeah, it’s okay. After getting hit by the car, I realized a lot of the things I’ve worried about don’t really matter.”

  “Wait, back up. You were hit by a car?” She moved up to his bedside and stroked his arm. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m doing much better. I’ve been here for a while. I was actually released a couple of days ago, but the nurses thought I looked tired and suggested I stay. They’ve been fabulous, and the sponge baths, wow.”

  Lexi boiled. Steam rose from her ears. “Were they…?”

  “Very thorough,” he snickered. “It was actually my favorite part of my stay. I finally stopped apologizing for getting hard, but they said it was okay.”

  She bit her cheek and forced the sarcasm back down. “So you’re okay, and aren’t actually a patient here anymore?”

  “Technically, no. They had the bed available and said I looked stressed – and well, the doctor seems really nice about it, asking me to stick around for a couple of extra days.”

  Lexi turned and stormed out of his hospital room. To think she was worried about him.

  King grabbed his hospital gown, slapped it on and started to run after her. “Lexi, wait.”

  She spun around to face him.

  A gaggle of nurses stood behind him giggling and blushing. He turned to look at them. “Oh, right.” He reached back and closed his gown.

  Lexi shook her head. “I’m done.”

  He padded down the tiled hallway. “Wait, I need to get dressed, we need to talk.”

  “I’m finished talking to you. To think I missed you,” she spat out seething.

  “You missed me?” King continued to chase after her as she hit the elevator button. “See that’s the thing, I missed you, too.”

  “Yes, I can see that,” she said. Lexi stepped inside the elevator.

  He moved into the elevator with her.

  She gently pushed him out of the elevator. “Get out. Don’t call me, don’t reach out to me, don’t stop by. Go play with your nurses, and let them sponge wash your-”

  The elevator doors closed.

  “Shit.” King sulked back to his room.

  The elevator doors opened again. Lexi stepped out. She was a few steps behind King. “And another thing, so help me God, if I ever find out another woman has her hands near your penis, I will mangle it and tear it into shreds.”

  King spun to look at Lexi. He cringed at the thought of his shredded naughty bits. “You’re back.”

  “Get dressed. I’ll take you home,” she said.

  “You’d really tear my dick into shreds? That’s harsh.”

  “Care to test me?” She was peeved and insanely jealous. To think the nurses were handling his junk multiple times a day. She knew why, no surprise there. He was packing heat. His big old cock wasn’t the kind of dick most people got to enjoy. The guy was hung. And his body was spectacular. She got it, but still!

  “I need to find my phone. It could be mashed to bits on the road or maybe it fell out of my pocket into the truck, but either way I think it’s gone. You called me?”

  “Maybe once, twice tops.”

  King smiled. He lifted the back of his gown up and mooned her, then turned into his room.

  She followed him and shook her head. “How old are you, ten?”

  “Close the door,” he said. “We might as well make use of the room before we leave. This bed goes in pretty much any position you want.”

  “King, no. Okay, maybe…” She mumbled and closed the door.

  “That’s my girl.”

  Chapter 17

  “What happened, King?” Lexi asked, stripping off her slacks and dropping her panties to the ground. She climbed on top of him after he stripped off his hospital gown.

  “Take your shirt off,” he nudged. “I want to see all of you.”

  She glanced over at the door. There was no lock on it, but it was closed. She reached over and pulled the privacy curtain around his bed. Flipping her shirt off, she reached up and unhooked her bra. Lexi leaned forward and let her breasts fall free, then tossed her bra to the rolling table beside the bed.

  “Oh, much better,” he said under his breath. King reached up to play with her tits. Squeezing them, he encouraged her to lean closer. He took a mouthful of her nipple into his mouth and sucked her, flicking his tongue against her nub.

  “Mm, harder,” she said.
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br />   She loved that he couldn’t hide his smile, even with his mouth wrapped around her breast.

  King suckled her, loving every minute of it. “You’re so freaking sexy.”

  “What happened?” She tried to focus, but her head tingled as he played with her.

  “Got hit by a car. Come here,” he said moving to her other breast.

  “A car accident,” she murmured.

  King mouthed her tit while trying to answer. “No, a car hit me, not my car.”

  Lexi sat up quickly, her breast popping out of his mouth.

  “Hey now, bring those back,” he replied with a pout.

  “Holy shit, are you okay?”

  He looked at his arms playfully. “I seem to be.”

  “Seriously, that’s horrific. What happened?” She was all ears.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he said. “But yeah, I’m lucky to be alive. I’m feeling luckier now that you’re sitting on me. How about you climb onto my dick?”

  She slid her ass back and lifted her hips. Reaching down, she slipped the head of his cock between her nether lips. Lexi closed her eyes and groaned as she pressed onto him. “Damn, you feel good.”

  King sighed loudly. “Ooh, you’re so wet. Ride me, baby.”

  “Where did it happen?” She was caught between a daze and curiosity.

  King thrust up into her. “Mm, you’re so tight.”

  “Harder,” she gasped as he moved. She met him stroke for stroke with her hips.

  “I was on my way to buy you a ring,” he said, as if it was the most natural thing. “Figured if I finally popped the question, you’d see I was serious.”

  Lexi stopped moving. She opened her eyes and stared at him. “What?”

  “I love you, baby. You’re the one I want-”

  The door opened.

  A nurse pulled the privacy curtain back as she spoke. “Hey sexy boy, are we still on for our date?”

  Everyone froze.

  The nurse gasped. “Mr. Carson!”

  Lexi glared at King. “A date? You were going to ask me to marry you? And with only a few weeks between then and now…you’ve already asked her on a date?”

  King shrugged. “She gives a good sponge bath?”

  Lexi groaned and slid off of her lover. “Are you freaking kidding me? You really are something else, aren’t you? Pig.”

  The nurse didn’t know what to do or say. She panicked and started to leave.

  “Don’t bother. The man whore is all yours,” she sniped. Lexi turned to King. “We’re done. Don’t call me, don’t text me, don’t stop by my place. If I see you again, I can’t be held responsible for what I’ll do to you. Do you understand me?”

  She was practically foaming at the mouth. Lexi pulled on her clothing.

  The nurse left the room.

  King grumbled. “You didn’t answer my calls, my texts, nothing. You blocked me before I got hurt. I thought we were over. I was trying to win you back.”

  “You failed,” she said, pulling her shirt back on after hooking her bra. “You failed big time.”

  “Lexi, wait…”

  “Don’t.” She shot up her hand, warning him. Lexi pulled herself together and then stomped out of the hospital room. If she never saw that bear again, it would be too soon.

  King jumped out of bed and scrambled to get his gown on. He ran after her. “Wait.”

  “Go screw all of your pretty nurses. They’re apparently lining up to spend time with you. I’m not in line. In fact, I’m done. I’m done with you, and done with Alaska. I’m leaving the area so I never make the stupid mistake to spend more time with you. And so help me God, if you follow me, I will kick your ass from here to San Diego. Do you understand me? I am in no mood to be bothered. You, me, we’re through.”

  King stood in the hallway, looking like a thrown-out teddy-bear. Hell, he wasn’t even in his bear form. The big man watched the love of his life walk away. He had to make things right. Each step she took farther away from him, another piece of his heart fell to the ground and died.

  Chapter 18

  He needed to make things clear. There was only one girl for him. Yep, he’d made plenty of mistakes, but he would make it right. Lexi had come back into his life for a reason, and he wasn’t letting her go. Sure, they’d had some bumps on their road back to a reunion, but it didn’t mean he had to give up. No way. She was worth fighting for.

  He knew what he had to do. It wasn’t going to happen overnight, but he’d figure it out. King made a list of the things he wanted to accomplish, how to do it, and needed to decide how much he was willing to sacrifice. If he was really going all the way, he needed to commit large.

  King made some phone calls and spent the next two weeks working on his plans. It was all or nothing. She’d see he was serious, see that he’d bend light and time, do whatever it took if it meant she’d be his.

  Time after time, he’d tried to tell her – but his actions and words didn’t match. He’d say one thing, then do something stupid. Maybe he’d been self-sabotaging, or not taking things as seriously as he should, but he’d never played for keeps before. This time it was different.

  He wanted more than sex. He wanted companionship, love, a family, the whole nine yards. King got busy doing what he needed to do. Once he had everything lined up, it was time to set his plan in motion.

  ***

  There was one tiny piece of the puzzle he hadn’t figured out, and that was how to get Lexi into his truck. If he could convince her ‘just this one time’ he knew he stood a shot. Without her cooperation, it would be near impossible.

  How the hell did he get her cooperation? That was the biggest hurdle. All he could do was try. When the timing was right, he cleaned himself up, put on his best duds, and made his way out to his truck.

  He drove down to Lexi’s development and waited outside of the gate. When the flower delivery truck showed up, the delivery man buzzed to be let in. King drew a deep breath and followed behind him. He cautiously parked his truck a couple of houses away. The delivery man went up to the door, buzzed, and waited.

  When she finally came to the door, the man spoke to her, nodded, then went to get the delivery. He walked back up to the door with a massive vase full of red roses in each arm. She opened the door and he set them down for her. He wasn’t finished. He went back out to his truck to get two more vases of roses, this time in another color. Up to the door, a vase in each arm, he waited as she opened it. Peach roses, yellow roses, pink roses, white roses – when it was all said and done, ten large vases of roses had been delivered.

  Lexi spoke to him for a moment. When he saw the delivery guy shrug, he knew it was time. He didn’t say who the delivery was from and there was no card.

  King pulled forward as the delivery van pulled away. He got out and walked to the door. He’d envisioned a sweeping romantic gesture, planned the entire day, but when he got there she was tied up in a robe, her hair was twisted in a messy bun, and her pockets were filled with tissues.

  “Lexi…”

  “King? Was this you?”

  He nodded.

  “I appreciate the gesture, but it’s not about you buying me flowers. It’s the way you always put yourself first. The way that I’m convenient until I’m not. I’m sorry,” she said, about to close the door.

  “Wait, will you take a short drive with me? I wanted to show you something.”

  She was all congested. “Look at me, King. I’m sick. I’ve got a head cold and the sinuses are kicking my ass. I’m really in no mood.”

  “Lexi, please. You don’t have to get out of the car, just ride with me. I wouldn’t…it’s important.”

  She sighed. “Not today.”

  “Lexi?” King asked quietly. “One drive.”

  She closed her eyes. Pushing slippers onto her feet, she trudged out the door and climbed into his truck. “This doesn’t change anything.”

  “When we’re done here, I’ll run and get you chicken sou
p. Do you need cough drops?”

  She looked at him, almost confused. “You realize, doing this, you’ll probably catch my cold.”

  “Worth it,” he said. “Come on.”

  He’d hopped back in the truck and was already heading down the street. It was his last shot to express how much she meant to him. “Lexi, I’m just a silly-old bear. You know, a guy who got too big for his britches, got lost on my path, but I think I finally figured it all out.”

  She inhaled deeply and turned toward the window to cough. “Sorry about that.”

  “Right, sure.” He drove with one goal in mind.

  “Is this going to take much longer?”

  They’d been in the truck for about ten minutes.

  “No, we’re almost there.”

  She shook her head. “I have no idea where you’re taking me.”

  “Home,” he said. He pulled up in front of a large house. “This would be perfect.”

  She gave him a side glance. What the hell was he talking about?

  “It’s got a workshop out back for me. I can keep doing woodwork. It’s got a large open backyard, plenty of space to roam. And inside…”

  “King, no.”

  “Let me finish,” he said, wiping a tear from his eye. “Is a perfect study for you. It has glass French doors, so you can shut them and work without me bothering you. But, you can see through them, so I can’t be responsible if I strip down and try to distract my wife. You know, the urge to make babies can be strong. I’d like to put an offer in on the house, Lexi. I’m selling my place and coming down here. That way you can keep the job that you like, it’s closer to work, and I’ll be able to keep doing my thing. There’s a nice fireplace we can sit in front of and snuggle, maybe have some cider or roast marshmallows while having a picnic on the family room floor. When the kids come along, we’ll make S’Mores. We can do a fire pit out back or put up a tent and camp in the backyard when they’re little. I figure two or three kids, you, me, and we can have that happily-ever-after that you deserve. I want that, too. More than you realize. It took me losing you again to realize you were everything I ever wanted or needed in my life. I just had to get out of my own way to understand how to do it unselfishly. It’s always been about me. All my life. I want it to be about you, now.”