Covert Bear

by Candace Ayers

  The bear licked my stomach again and then my face. Then, he rested his chin on my shoulder and made a happy, almost purring sound.

  “You’re not so scary.” I swallowed. “Well, okay, that’s a lie. You are scary, but you’re sweet, too.”

  I looked up him and wondered how I could lead a bear back to the sanctuary. It wasn’t as though I had a leash or anything. The back entrance to the place wasn’t all that far. Maybe I could actually cut behind my house and across Pelican Drive to get him back home. I didn’t know how to get a bear to follow me, though. Too bad I hadn’t caught my fish of the day or I’d use that to lure him. Not that I especially wanted to dangle a snack in my hand and tease a half-ton apex predator with it.

  “If I lead the way, will you follow me?” I edged away from him and moved back to the beach. He’d pushed me back onto the pier, slowly but surely, and I was starting to worry about it being on the old wooden structure with such a large animal. “Come on. I bet Mr. Zoo is really worried that you’re out here, getting yourself into trouble.”

  Miraculously, he just followed me. Without hesitation, he walked along right behind me as I headed toward the sanctuary. It was crazy, but then again, not crazier than anything else that had happened in the past ten minutes. All the way past my house and in between two houses on Pelican Drive, we went. I crossed my fingers that no one came out and had a stroke over the sight. Then, when we reached the back entrance of the wildlife sanctuary, Mr. Zoo seemed to have anticipated our arrival.

  I was about to knock on the wooden gate when it swung open. He took one look at my polar bear and sighed loudly. I smiled, as best as I could in my still slightly apprehensive state. “Did you lose something?”

  He reached out and patted the bear on the nose and nodded. “Thanks for bringing him back. He’s a major troublemaker, but harmless as a pussycat.”

  I shrugged, like it was no big deal and I hadn’t been so terrified a few minutes ago that I’d begged the polar bear to eat my head first. “He’s really cuddly.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he is that.” He maneuvered around the bear and shifted his weight into pushing the ass end of the bear inside the gate. “Thanks, again.”

  I watched as he led the creature away and felt oddly sad when the gate closed and I was separated from my bear. The bear, not my bear. Why did I think of him as mine?

  6

  Alexei

  I shifted back to my human self and glared at the zookeeper, who was a shifter himself. Some sort of buffalo, if my sense of smell wasn’t mistaken. Leon Zoo, a man the team had lectured a few times regarding the way he kept his animals, was a jackass. “I should bite your head right off your shoulders for prodding me in the ass like that.”

  “Oh, excuse me. I’m not really up on the normal protocol for herding a shifter into my compound. Not to mention having to pretend that I just lost an animal—a polar bear no less! I have a reputation, you know.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Not a very good one.”

  “You can leave now, sunshine.”

  I left, naked, and snuck back to the pier to find my shorts. Then, after looking around and having no luck spotting my human, went back to the house. My bear was damn near giddy with excitement at the morning’s events. I thought of the way he’d rubbed himself all over her and laughed. Maybe that hadn’t been all him.

  I should’ve felt bad for the way I’d touched her and tasted her skin, but she was utterly irresistible. I was aroused just thinking about the way she’d felt as her fingers stroked my fur. I wanted to feel her against my human body. I wanted more than to feel her.

  I let myself into the house and went straight to the kitchen. I was famished. If I couldn’t have her right then, I was going to need to satisfy myself in other ways. Luckily for me, Serge was there, cooking.

  “Thank god. I was afraid I was going to have to cook for myself.”

  Serge looked me over and raised his eyebrows. “You look keyed up. What’s up?”

  I couldn’t tell him the truth. We weren’t supposed to interact with humans in our animal form the way I just had. Not without a good enough reason. Serge wouldn’t consider just wanting to be close to her a good enough reason. “Just had a refreshing swim.”

  He made a face. “Uh huh.”

  I watched and as soon as he put the first stack of pancakes on the island, I grabbed them. He complained, but I didn’t care. I poured a half a bottle of syrup over them and dove in head first. I didn’t come up until the ache in my stomach eased up some and I felt the beginnings of a sugar coma. It was easier in that state to not be so focused on my new human obsession.

  “What the hell, Alexei?”

  I grinned and pushed away from the counter. “Thanks. I’m heading up to get ready for work.”

  “Asshole.”

  I waved Serge off and took the stairs up to my room, three at a time. I grabbed a towel and a change of clothes before stepping into the bathroom. What started out as an innocent shower soon became my hand wrapped around my cock, the woman from the pier’s tall, sexy body playing across my mind until I came with a low growl.

  I had to see her again. I didn’t know what it was about her, but I was smitten. I not only wanted to see her and touch her more, I needed to, as crazy as that was.

  The rest of the day passed in a blur. We had a steady stream of asinine jobs, with Halloween right around the corner. It seemed everyone got a little wilder around that time—shifter and human alike. All day, I went through the motions, but I was distracted as hell.

  It was early when I fell into bed, and I laid there counting down the hours until I could go back to that pier. I hoped she’d come back there. She had to. I’d never seen her around the island before, but surely she wasn’t a tourist. She was out fishing, and by herself. That wasn’t touristy activity.

  By the time morning came, I was climbing out of my skin, eager to find her again. It was still dark when I left the house and sank into the ocean. Hooking my shorts where I always left them, I shifted and swam out to sea, using the time to swim hard and really push my bear. He needed to work on releasing some energy before seeing our little human. It would be too easy to get overly excited and accidentally hurt her.

  Again, as the sun was coming up on the east side of the island, turning the horizon a deep purple color, I swam up closer to the pier and watched as she appeared. Strolling down the beach then stepping onto the pier, the slight sway of her hips was hypnotizing. She was all long legs and perfect curves and her bare feet made the softest of sounds as she stepped. She stopped at the end of the pier and pulled her fishing pole out before hesitating and scanning the water.

  If I wasn’t mistaken…hmm…was there hope in her eyes as she looked around? Then she spotted me. The corners of her lips lifted as she braced herself on the railing and leaned forward.

  “What are you doing out, again?” She watched me swim closer and giggled when I splashed water at her again. “You’re a naughty boy, aren’t you?”

  Naughty? She had no clue. I swam closer and then ducked under the water right in front of her. Swimming as deep as I could and then shooting back up, I did my version of a bear grin when she squeaked and pursed her lips. I belly flopped back into the water and my large splash soaked her.

  Her caramel colored hair clung to her head and face and the tie-dye shirt she wore suctioned to her breasts. “You’re a ham. Come on. Let’s get you back to Mr. Zoo. As rude as he may be, that’s where you belong.”

  I growled and splashed her again. I wasn’t done hanging out with her. I went under again and found a large fish. I easily caught it and came up with it between my teeth. Getting as close to her as I could, I spit it out next to her feet on the pier and tried to grin again. Damn, I wanted to be in my human form.

  She squatted, giving me a glorious view of her inner thighs, and picked it up. “Is this for me?”

  I nodded my head and then swam alongside the pier, needing to be closer to her. She grabbed her things and followed me
, the fish tucked into the bucket she’d carried up. She hurried along with an excited expression. It seemed that she was as eager as I was.

  When we both got to the beach, I made myself slow down so I didn’t hurt her. Her fear from yesterday seemed to have vanished. She came right up to me and stroked my head. When I purred like a fucking kitten, she leaned into me and scratched me with both hands.

  “You’re a real charmer, aren’t you?”

  I ran my tongue over her neck and let out a low growl. That spot… I wanted to bury my face there and taste her for weeks. Or months. I wasn’t sure which.

  She shivered against me and I eased up my affections. I let her touch me more, let her stroke my fur and scratch me behind the ears like I was a dog. It should’ve been embarrassing, but it wasn’t. I was in heaven and wanting more of her touch.

  I wanted to shift and show her how much I really liked what she was doing. I wanted to strip her naked and worship at the temple of her body. I wasn’t fool enough to think that she wouldn’t run screaming if I suddenly shifted and became a man in her arms, though.

  7

  Heidi

  “You know that this is crazy, right? You’re a polar bear. You’re not supposed to be out just roaming a Florida beach by yourself. You know? Mr. Zoo should really keep better tabs on you.” I hugged my new favorite animal again and then pulled away. “You’re such a snuggle bear. I can’t stop hugging you.”

  He used a big paw to draw me back closer to him and made a happy little noise when I fell against him. He’d seemed as excited to see me as I’d been to see him and I hadn’t felt an ounce of fear that morning. I’d wanted to find him. It made no sense, but there it was. I supposed that after the first encounter, my sixth sense kicked in and now I viewed him as completely harmless which was really stupid considering the fact that no matter how tamed he’d been by the circus or trainer or whoever had him before Mr. Zoo, he was a wild and potentially deadly animal. Still, I’d never even known a dog that was as lovable and cuddly as he was.

  “Come on. As much as I’d love to take you home and let you live with me, I’m sure that would violate about fifty local ordinances. You have to go back to Mr. Zoo.” I sighed. “Maybe this time he’ll do a better job at containing you so you can’t get out again.”

  Again, same as yesterday, I led him back to the sanctuary and knocked on the gate. I looked back at him and sighed again. He kept staring at me with his eyes all big and pleading, like he wanted something from me. He seemed to be attracted to me and I wanted to spend the rest of the day hanging out with him. That wasn’t the adult in me speaking, though. No way should a polar bear be on this island unless it was in a cage or reinforced enclosure of some sort. I couldn’t keep him out in public, where something could set him off. At the end of the day, he was a wild animal.

  It was hard to believe he was a wild animal when I looked at him, though. “You’re too darn cute, you know that?”

  Mr. Zoo opened the gate when my bear chuffed out what I thought of as a laugh. He took one look at us and rolled his eyes—not the reaction I was anticipating—before gesturing the bear inside. The bear was obviously well trained in non-verbal commands because Mr. Zoo didn’t say a word the whole time. The bear just lumbered in and Mr. Zoo closed the gate after him.

  I stood there, feeling angry and lonely, all of a sudden. I wanted to go in with my bear and make sure he was being cared for. I didn’t get the impression that that would be a welcome intrusion, though. So, instead, I forced myself to walk back to the beach.

  It made no sense to feel sad and lonely after returning a stray animal to his proper home. So why, I pondered as I gathered my fishing supplies, did I suddenly feel hollow inside? It was the strangest thing. I almost felt as though I’d had to give away a pet dog that had been my loyal companion for years.

  It was also foreign for me to feel lonely. I’d gotten used to the solitary life that I’d built for myself. I hadn’t felt lonely in years. Yet, the hollow pit inside begged to differ.

  At home, I put my supplies away and carried my fish—the gift from my polar bear—inside. It was a nice looking fish and larger than the fish I usually caught. I put it on ice. It would make a delicious dinner later. A fish caught by a polar bear. I shook my head at the very thought and went to shower and get ready to head over to Maria’s to watch the boys.

  My morning with Jayden and Jonas was spent fending off their cuteness attacks and taking them out to play on the beach. By the time Maria got home from work, I had lunch prepared for her. I said my goodbyes and see ya’ tomorrows and left to slip back home and take care of some errands before heading to work at the bar that night.

  I was in the middle of my errands when I ran into him. At the grocery store, heading up the canned good aisle, he stepped into the aisle and walked towards me.

  Tall, broad, sexier than hell. He was a muscled god in a tight-fitting t-shirt and camo pants. Army camo, I noticed right away. His blonde hair was sun-bleached and kind of went everywhere all at once, a little too long. I had the strangest urge to run my hands through that hair.

  I’d never felt such an instant attraction before. It was like someone had suddenly turned the heat up in the canned goods aisle. I was instantly aware that I hadn’t changed out of the thin tank top I’d worn to play with the boys earlier. I felt on display and the way his eyes raked over my body told me very clearly that I was.

  I’d never seen him before, but I instantly had an idea of who he was. I’d heard plenty of talk at the bar about the group of military looking guys who’d moved onto the island several months back. A few of them had even stopped into Mimi’s on occasion—not this one, though. Apparently, they all lived in a large house that used to be a B&B, and rented office space on Main Street. No one knew what exactly they did or why they were here, but looks-wise, they had the locals in a tizzy. The women, anyway. Some men, too. Seeing him, I now understood why.

  His cart was empty when he parked it next to me. I averted my eyes and pretended to be highly interested in a can of beets. I went as far as to twist the can so I could read the label. Yep, still beets.

  As he reached over me to grab a can of sauerkraut, his arm just barely grazed my shoulder when he pulled back. “Oh, sorry.”

  My skin burned and tingled where he’d touched me and I had to work to make my mouth form words to respond. “No problem.”

  He dropped the can in his cart and stepped back just slightly. “I’m Alexei. I don’t think I’ve seen you around the island before.”

  I looked up at him and took a deep breath. He was so tall—6’4” or 6’5”. At 5’11”, I wasn’t a short woman by any means, taller than average, but he was a giant. His eyes…they were crystal blue like tropical waters. His eyelashes, long and thick, made those eyes look bedroom ready.

  “Um… Heidi.”

  The corner of his lips raised in a sexy half-smile for a split second before repeating my name. He said it with his deep voice and just the slightest bit of an accent. “Are you new to the island?

  I realized I still had my hand lifted in mid-air, halfway to the can of beets, and immediately dropped it. “No, actually. I’ve lived here for a number of years.”

  He reached up to grab another can from behind me, and his chest came even closer to me. He smelled…familiar. I couldn’t place it, but it was a scent that made me happy, like ocean and sun. I wanted to breathe him in deeper, maybe even bury my face in that broad chest to get more of it. I almost asked what kind of cologne he used.

  When he pulled back, his jaw muscles worked. “Has anyone ever told you that you smell like fresh glazed donuts?”

  I laughed. “Like donuts? No, nope. I can’t say I’ve heard that before.”

  He dropped another can into his cart and smiled down at me. His teeth were perfect, of course, and when he exposed them, I felt like he was more animal than man. That smile held a hint of a warning and an overwhelming sex appeal. Until he spoke again. “You know, if you asked me out, I
wouldn’t say no.”

  Hold the brakes! Cute, sexy, but cocky and arrogant as hell. Dangerous, too. I wasn’t going to take that warning lightly. He was too much man, too much heat and promise. My body wanted to adhere to him like a suction cup. My stomach was a flutter of butterflies, all beating wings toward him. I wasn’t stupid, though. I knew trouble when I saw it.

  “Enjoy your sauerkraut.” I forced myself to grab my cart and step away from him.

  Walking away from him felt like trudging through quick dry concrete. My body begged for a chance to rub against that big, delicious hunk of a man. I’d been so long since I’d been with anyone, but Alexei wasn’t a man to fan some flames with. He was all inferno and I already had metaphorical burn scars. I’d vowed never again. So, as hard as it was to fight the pull, I kept walking, headed to the checkout, unwilling to run into him again. I wasn’t sure I’d be as strong a second time.

  8

  Alexei

  I showed up the next morning with a wounded ego and a desperation to see Heidi. I’d spent the previous night at Cap’n Jim’s Bar and Grill, drinking and licking my wounds. I had felt a wild attraction to Heidi as soon as I saw her, but seeing her while not in bear form, while I could talk to her and get skin to skin with her was an entirely different thing.

  As soon as I’d seen her in that tiny tank top, her long, flat torso exposed, I’d wanted to rip it off of her, while simultaneously needing to cover her from anyone else looking her way. She was tall and slender but curvy in the right places and had the most exotically beautiful coloring—skin and hair the color of caramel and light green eyes with a darker green ring around the iris.

  I’d been so sure that she’d felt the same attraction. I’d seen the way she looked at me. Yet, maybe I’d been mistaken.