Hunter Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Enforcer Bears Book 2) Read Online Free

he have to offer a woman? He liked to run wild. He liked the loneliness of the forest. The life he’d led had left its marks on his skin.
    And there she had stood, soft where he was scarred, her body that of a goddess, all luscious curves that he couldn’t stop thinking about.
    But her eyes, he thought again. There was something about her eyes. As if she was seeing me. The real me.
    That was impossible, he knew that. His brother had told him that there were no other shifters around in Linden Creek. No one but his brother and his brother’s mate knew the truth about Steven.
    She can’t know. She would have run if she saw me shift into a bear.
    But then, what was it that he’d seen on her face in that final moment? Could she have felt the same call he did? Could she have recognized him as her mate as well?
    This is far too complicated for a simple case of catching a jaguar, he thought, and then frowned at his surroundings.
    There was still the matter of the jaguar. He had been hunting him for a while now, and so far, without success. But wherever the jaguar was hiding, it couldn’t be too far away. He’d found paw prints here, and once or twice, he’d caught his scent.
    His lair must be close. That’s why he keeps returning. Which means that she’s in danger.
    Maybe he should let Chris handle it. After all, that was Chris’s job. With some luck, she’d even believe the jaguar story if Chris confirmed what Steven had told her.
    You should tell her that she doesn’t need to worry, his bear grumbled. We’ll keep her safe. We’ll protect our mate!
    I don’t think that will go over well, Steven replied silently. And I’m not good with humans. Look at what a mess we’ve made of this already.
    I think she likes us, his bear huffed.
    Steven had to laugh. “I’d like to have your optimism,” he muttered, and then finally waded out of the pool to get dressed.
    Maybe Chris would pay him a visit. Steven didn’t like the thought of walking into town. In the forest, he felt in his element. Sometimes he thought that he’d be happiest if he’d simply never shift back into his human form.
    But now you have someone to be human for, his bear whispered in his head. He sounded suspiciously smug.
    Steven pretended that he hadn’t heard. But he couldn’t stop thinking of the way she’d stared at him. She hadn’t backed down. She had even threatened him.
    That had been pretty brave.
    Still. He’d seen how relationships could go wrong. He couldn’t do that to her.
    He wouldn’t.
    Ha, his bear grumbled again.
     
    ***
     
    Two days later, Steven was walking along the road that led back to the lake where the jaguar’s scent kept reappearing, when a car slowed down, and then stopped next to him. Steven had been half prepared to make his escape into the forest, because the last thing he wanted was to talk to another person. But then the window went down, and he found himself once more captivated by familiar, green eyes.
    “Hi,” the red-haired woman said.
    His mate. Once again he felt that irresistible pull.
    She gave him a small smile. “So, um. I just wanted to say that I did call the cops, and your brother told me you didn’t just make up a crazy story about a jaguar. Sorry I didn’t believe you, but…”
    “It’s all right,” he said, resisting the urge to move a little closer. “It sounds like a crazy story, but the jaguar is real. And he’s still around. Have you thought about moving back into town for a while, until it’s caught?”
    “I’m not going anywhere,” she said. Her fingers tapped nervously against the wheel.
    Chris probably told her the same thing, Steven realized. Damn .
    And she hadn’t listened.
    “Look,” he began, “I know you think it’s just some random cat hiding somewhere out here, but—”
    “I’m safe enough in the house, isn’t that right?” she interrupted. “And you haven’t evacuated the entire lake, so why should it be different for me?”
    Because you’re our