My Boss to Bear (Billionaire Werebear Paranormal Romance Steamy Standalone)

Copyright 2015 Luna Noir

All rights reserved.

My Boss to Bear

Book design by Luna Noir

Cover Image Copyright 2015
CanStockPhotos

Warning: This book
contains graphic depictions of consenting adults engaging in explicit sexual
activities, and is only intended for mature readers over the age of 18.

Marissa couldn't control her excitement. Today she
would be interviewing for her dream internship. As only a sophomore, everyone
had told her not to get her hopes up, but here she was about to prove them all
wrong. She had been preparing for this interview for months. She was ready and
she knew she could do this job and do it well. It was her passion to work on
forest conservancy and she had heard so many good things about the company and
its founder, Russell Branch.

And it wouldn't even take her away from her fiancé for
the summer. She and Jake would be close enough that they could still visit.
Everything was definitely going to be perfect.

She dressed carefully for the interview, wanting to
give the manager a good idea of her professionalism. But when she arrived, it
wasn't an HR manager who met her at all. It was Russell Branch.

"Sir," Marissa stammered, feeling almost like
she should courtesy. "This is a huge honor."

"Please call me Russell." He smiled, and she
found herself immediately drawn to his warm green eyes. "And it's my
foundation after all. I oversee all hiring. I only want people here who really care
about the wilderness. This forest we oversee is very dear to me for personal
reasons."

"Oh, I do love it sir. Russell." Marissa
forced herself to stop babbling.

He laughed and offered her his hand. "And you are?"

"Marissa Edward, sir. Russell."

She took his hand to shake it. The connection immediate
and electric. Something was between them. She couldn't have said what, but it
made her weak in the knees.

She forced her mind back to the interview. What was
wrong with her? She was happy with Jake and this man would be her boss, for goodness
sake.

"Shall we begin?"

He held the door open for her, still smiling. And
though Marissa couldn't have said in what way, his expression had changed
subtly as though he had noticed something about her, too. Maybe it had been her
imagination.

It didn't matter. She was here for her dream job.

Marissa squared her shoulders. "Yes. I'm ready. We
have a lot to cover, Russell."

His delighted laugh followed her into the room.

~

First day. Time to get up.

Marissa stared at the ceiling and tried to summon the
passion she had felt only a few short months ago. Where was her drive, her
enthusiasm?

Or maybe Jake had taken those from her, too.

It came out of the blue two weeks ago. "I don't
love you anymore," he'd said, and taken back his ring. "I don't think
this can work."

He left then, and left her devastated. Worse, she knew
the real reason he was leaving, and it made her feel even more like a fool.

She was pregnant. She had only told him a few weeks
ago, but she had expected Jake to be happy that they were starting their family
so soon. Instead, he had blanched and asked her if she was really going to keep
it.

Marissa couldn't even think off giving up her child. Even
though she had only been pregnant a short time, she already loved her child with
a fierceness that was frightening in its depth and intensity.

But she had truly thought he would come around. She had
never thought he would leave her.

Swallowing against tears, Marissa forced herself out of
bed. Her baby needed food, and her amazing internship awaited her. Everything would
amazing again, she just had to remember that.

And Russell Branch had been so kind to her. It would definitely
be a pleasure to work with his team. And for such a good cause. Her baby would
be proud of her someday.

Feeling reassured, Marissa went to get dressed.

~

To her surprise, Russell came himself to welcome her.
She blushed at the warmth in his smile, feeling like this whole job was a
dream. How was a billionaire - a busy billionaire, with his own company and
non-profit - so down-to-earth and willing to talk to her? She had been certain
he would have forgotten her, or would at least take a moment to place her, but
here he was, welcoming her by name.

It was then she saw him take in her condition. Marissa
couldn't help but feel a thrill of fear. After Jack's reaction, she now felt a moment
of panic that her pregnancy would ruin things here, too. But somehow, warmth
still lingered in her new boss' voice when Russell clasped her hand. "I
see congratulations are in order!"

"Thank you." She felt a thrill at his touch
and had to force herself to let go.

"You are your fiancé must be excited."

Being reminded of Jake hurt. But then, she was always
reminded of him. "I am. Jake is... no longer in the picture."

"I see. I'm sorry." Russell did look genuinely
sorry for her sake, and seeing his concern made her heart skip a beat. How
could such an important man be so down to earth and thoughtful?

"It's fine." She forced a smile.

He didn't look as though he believed her, but he was a
gentleman and didn't press. "Let me show you to your desk. I hope you'll
be happy here."

Seeing the earnest hope in his face made her smile again,
this time for real. "I'm sure I will be."

~

Marissa threw herself into her work. It was easy - she
had always been passionate about conservancy, but now she had a new reason to
push herself. She wanted to forget the spring, to forget Jake and the look on
his face when he told her he didn't want to be with her and her child.

Over the next few weeks, it began to dawn on her that
she might have some other reason for working hard.

Her billionaire boss continued to pay special attention
to her, even though she was sure he was a busy man, trying to run both his
company and the non-profit. Yet he seemed to be more often working to save the
forests than trying to make money, and Marissa began to feel like he might be
spending more time in her department particularly than he might have otherwise.

She tried to convince herself she was imagining things,
but every day, Russell dropped by to say hello, even if he was too busy to have
a real conversation. He brought her flowers for Mother's Day and left her
little notes at times when he came by while she was in another desk. Once, one
had a little doodle of her as a superhero fighting to save the forest, and she
laughed until tears came to her eyes.

Those were the good times.

It was hard to admit to herself that she was beginning
to look forward to Russell's visits more so than even her internship - which
she loved. But it was hard not to notice how her heart skipped a beat when he
smiled at her, and when he gently touched her hand. She began to notice him as
a man, and more than anything, that terrified her.

It was embarrassing that she couldn't stop thinking
about him. He was such an important man - he was her boss - but whenever she
met his eyes, she felt a heat growing between them that was hard to deny. At
the office, she forced herself to look away and tried to think of her unborn
child, but at home... at home, sometimes she couldn't help but dream about his
burning gaze, his soft lips, the way his hands would feel around her...

Closing
her eyes, Marissa let her hand drift lower, resting it on her most private
places as she thought about Russell. She remembered the look he had given her
during her presentation that day. Remembering the heat of his gaze made her
quiver all over again. Should she tell him what it was she was thinking?

What
she was thinking...

God.
Marissa felt herself blushing at just the thought. She was only an intern, and
he was a rich and powerful man. He would never be interested in her. No, this
was just a fantasy.

But
in her fantasy, he held her close and whispered sweet things to her. He kissed
her lips, her neck, her breasts, and her belly. He called her child theirs and
promised to be with them always.

It
was as though she could really feel him with her. His tongue on her thigh, his
breath on her panties. And then his fingers pulling back the thin layer of
sheer fabric to give his tongue free reign within her folds.

Marissa
imagined the sweet torment of his mouth sucking at her clit while every
movement wracked her body with spasms of longing and pleasure. He would be good
at it, she was sure, and her pussy ached for him to prove it. She could almost
feel Russell's tongue inside her.

She could imagine the long, slow licks he would take,
as though he was tasting the very core of her. Her whole body shivered in
forbidden delight as she lay alone in the darkness, wishing that she dared hope
for her dreams to come true.

~

Nervously, Marissa waited for her billionaire boss to
reply. She had just shown him a new program she had designed to try to track
illegal logging activities. It was the most important project she had ever
worked on, but all she could think was how she wanted him to be pleased with
her.

"I'm very impressed with your work, Marissa."

She felt a blush rising from her cleavage up. He was
pleased!

"I think we should implement your app
immediately," Russell continued. "I'll get a meeting set up with IT
for tomorrow morning." He handed her back the files and started to leave.

On his way out of her cubicle, he paused. "You're
going to save a lot of trees, Marissa. You've made me very happy."

Marissa shivered at the look in his eyes. It was so
close to the look she had been dreaming of only last night - but she had to be
imagining things. He was her boss!

She forced herself to look away and tried to pretend
that she was only glad about the trees, and not that she had made him so happy.

True to Russell's word, she met with the IT department
the next day, and before she knew it, the entire company was using her app. Her
boss even called together a surprise party in her honor. She was so shocked
when they appeared at her cubicle with cake and fruit punch that she nearly
shrieked.

"Let's all toast Marissa. Two months in, and I'd
already be lost without her!" Russell's face was bright and happy, and she
wished she could kiss him.

But the twinkle in his eye was just for her, and that
was enough. He raised a glass of fruit punch. "To her future here at
Branch Industries."

"To her future!"

The chorus rose around Marissa. For the first time
since she had lost Jake, she felt truly at home.

~

Only a few days later, Russell stopped by her cubicle
with some exciting information. "Your app has been picking up some unusual
activity in this area." He pointed to a quadrant on the forest map that
hung over her desk. "The police say they chased off some illegal loggers a
few days ago. I thought you might like to go with me to see the trees you've
helped to save in person while I check things out."

"Oh!" Marissa blushed. "I don't
know." Days alone in the forest with her boss? Did she dare?

"Unless my company is so terribly unpleasant that you
would rather sit behind a desk for three days than be around me." His eyes
twinkled.

Marissa laughed then, deeply and truly - what felt like
the first real laugh she had had since her fiancé left.

"Of course I'll go with you." She smiled up
at Russell. "I'd love to."

~

They hiked through the lush and green undergrowth,
reveling in the majestic forest they'd helped save. Russell paused often to be
sure Marissa wasn't straining herself on his account, and she always told him
how she would have such stories to tell her child. He'd point out grouse and
once, a turkey, as they walked. The first night, they huddled before a field
Russell had built before a makeshift lean-to. Marissa couldn't remember ever
being so happy