Some Bear to Love: BBW Bear Shifter (BWWM) Romance Standalone

C
opyright
© 2015 by Terry Bolryder

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover Design by Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers

F
or my Family

K
im Starling was
glad the beautiful man she was watching had no idea she was there.

Even standing on a dock, muscles bulging as he loaded boxes onto a large live-aboard yacht, the man looked like something out of a magazine. He had long, gorgeous blond hair, sun-streaked from life on the island. It was tied low and whipped in the wind as he worked.

He was most likely a pure-blooded bear shifter, judging from his tremendous height and the breadth of his shoulders. Plus the pure scent of alpha male brought to her on the ocean breeze.

They’d be going on an overnight tour of the island. And it was apparently mandatory, according to the orientation pamphlet she’d been given for winning a giveaway she couldn’t even remember entering.

In fact, she was sure she
hadn’t
entered, but she was used to shifter families doing weird things to match-make, and that’s exactly what she figured this was. A father’s attempt to bring female bear shifters in to meet his alpha male sons.

When the man in front of her finally sensed her presence, or at least acknowledged it, he whipped around to look at her and his hair flew in the wind, catching the sunlight in shades of gold.

He rose to his full, intimidating height and looked down at her with folded arms. A muscle twitched in his straight jaw.

She stuck out a hand, hoping to be friendly. “My name is Kim Starling. I’ll be on the boat with you today.”

“I know who you are,” he said flatly, looking down at her hand, but not taking it. His eyes were a beautiful, intense aqua. The exact color of the sparkling ocean behind him. “And just so you know, I’m not looking for a mate.”

She frowned. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Who said I was either?”

He pursed full lips and that aqua gaze studied her. “I have a ship to run. I’m not an idiot to my father’s machinations, but I don’t have time to watch an alpha female while I have a crew to manage and a ship to pilot.”

Footsteps jogged up behind them on the dock, and they both whipped around to see the newcomer.

It was a younger-looking skipper, and he tipped his hat to the captain. “My first time navigating! Amazing, right? When Sam told me…”

A wide grin spread across her face at the dismay on the captain’s face at being displaced.

“What do you mean?” he asked, pinning the other with a glare.

“Well, I—I—he wants you to stay on as first mate, but he wants me to take the bulk of the duties.”

“Of course he does,” the taller man said through gritted teeth. Then he pinned her with a glare that said this was all her fault.

It wasn’t, of course. It was Sam’s fault, whoever that was. But she couldn’t say she was sorry this stunning man now had no excuse to avoid her.

“Well, I’m Kim Starling,” she said, shaking the younger man’s hand vigorously. “And you are?”

He looked up at her and a blush traveled up his pale skin. “Bart, miss. Born and raised here.”

She bent slightly to be at his level, because he was quite short, despite probably being in his mid-twenties. “Well, then I guess you’ll be an excellent pilot and guide on this trip.”

“Captain,” the taller man drawled. “He’ll be an excellent captain.” He turned his back on them and strode toward the hotel.

“Then why do you look so pissed about it?” she called out.

He just gave her a glare over his shoulder and stormed off in the direction of the hotel.

She shrugged at the nervous-looking Bart who’d taken his position. “I’m sorry about that.”

“That’s just Sebastien’s way, ma’am,” he said. “He doesn’t like not being in control. But Sam said it’s time I learn to handle a boat of my own, so we can have two going at once.”

“That makes very good sense,” she said, putting an arm around his shoulders and making him blush once again. “Now, why don’t we head into this ship and you can show me around?”

“I better finish loading the dock, miss.”

She eyed the boxes Sebastien had left behind. “All right, but I’ll help.”

“I really couldn’t let you,” he said guiltily.

She swept up two large boxes in her strong arms and vaulted up the ramp and into the ship. “Too late!” She stuck out her tongue at him, then lowered the boxes into the pile Sebastien had been building.

Then she looked back up at the hotel for any glimpse of the man that was already starting to take up all her waking thoughts.

She couldn’t really promise herself to any one man right now, but she couldn’t get those particular aqua eyes out of her mind.

S
ebastien Weston thumped heavily
on the door to his father’s suite. The old man was in there, he just knew it, and he needed to answer for what he’d done in taking Sebastien’s ship and giving it to someone who barely knew what they were doing.

His father’s matchmaking shenanigans had gone far enough.

“I know you’re in there, you old shark!” he shouted. “Give me my boat back!”

The door finally swung open, and his father stood behind it, looking tired. Now that he had Sebastien’s brother Scott running most aspects of the hotel, his father was free to spend his time sleeping late and micromanaging his sons’ lives. He knew the old coot wanted grandchildren, but this was too far.

His father ran his hand through his short blond hair shot through with gray and white and yawned. “Bart is fully capable, as you well know. He’s been around the ships since he was little, and he’s had an excellent teacher.” He gestured to his son, but Sebastien wasn’t mollified by the compliment. He pushed past his father and strode into the room to pace in front of the sliding glass door that overlooked the ocean below.

He wanted to be out on it, focused on running things, not relegated to interacting with the crew. Especially one bossy, overly talkative she-bear that seemed hungry for a mate.

Well, she was barking up the wrong tree if she thought that was Sebastien. Sure, she was mouthwatering. She seemed strong in a way few people were, and there was a light in her vivacious gray eyes that told him life with her would always be an adventure.

But at the same time, his mate was the sea and his ship and his plans, and he’d never need a woman. They were unnecessary things that just slowed you down. And besides, he had two other brothers who would probably happily find mates.

He paced and grumbled, and his father simply laughed aggravatingly and sat in a chair to watch him. Then checked his watch.

“You know, you better get down there if you don’t want them to leave without you.”

Sebastien flashed angry eyes at his father. “You know damn well they won’t leave without me. And I’m not going back down there until you put me back in charge.”

“You need to relax,” his father said, reclining in the chair and propping his feet on a cushioned ottoman. “All the time it’s work, work, work. It’s time you found a mate.”

Sebastien narrowed his eyes at his dad. “I knew that’s why you brought them here. Giveaway my ass.”

“Stop being grumpy. Ladies don’t like grumpy men.”

Sebastien let out a growl. “I don’t care what they like. I’m not taking a mate. You can find your grandchildren elsewhere.” He continued to pace. What to do? Already the ship was calling him back. He longed to be on the ocean, his hand on the wheel and the throttle, radio crackling beside him.

He didn’t want to be the one herding the passengers, though it would be a small group, since this was an overnight trip and could only house as many as there were cabins.

Which was even worse. It just made it all the more likely that he’d have to spend time with that treacherous Kim Starling. He didn’t need his shifter body reacting to pheromones when he knew logically that would never be the right thing for him.

A quick roll in the hay, sure. Maybe some hot sex under the island stars. But not mating, and that was surely what a pureblooded shifter like Kim would want.

That would be why his dad had selected her probably.

He wondered what she was exactly. Probably some kind of bear, because of her height. Maybe some grizzly or Kodiak blood.

Something in him reacted as those gray eyes flashed in his mind, but he tried to ignore it. That was ridiculous. He shook his head and continued to pace but looked down at the boat when he heard a loud bell ringing, announcing that they would take off soon.

“Looks like they might call your bluff after all,” his dad said, looking highly amused.

Rage burned in Sebastien, but he didn’t make any move to leave. They wouldn’t leave without him. They couldn’t.

“You know, it won’t be so bad. Perhaps you could just get to know the lady. Be friends.”

Ha! She wasn’t the type you made friends with. She was the type you had hot sex with on a beach. The type you laughed with under the stars after a passionate kiss. The type you did water sports with and swam with and fell in love with and stayed forever with.

She was not for him.

“I can see how conflicted you are,” his dad said sardonically. “Why don’t you just go down there and give it a chance? Heck, maybe she’s looking for whatever you are. Maybe she doesn’t want a commitment.”

A shifter female who didn’t want a pureblooded polar bear for a mate? That didn’t exist. He knew that from the many women his father had thrown at him over the years. All those attempts had seemed half-serious, though, compared to this latest one. He’d actually brought three women out, one for each of his sons.

It was insane.

He should feel bad for the women, but they did get a free vacation out of the entire thing, not to mention a chance to ensnare very eligible men.

“Ah, looks like your lady friend is going to be first mate, because if I’m not mistaken, your ship just took off without you.”

His eyes went wide and he grabbed a pair of binoculars that rested on a nearby table and ran out onto the deck. Sure enough, the boat was leaving, and there was that aggravating tall female with those long, luscious braids out on the top deck with Bart.

Rage sizzled through him. He’d go out, get back aboard his boat, and then have a strongly worded conversation with the woman about just who would be running things.

Yes,
he thought, rolling up his sleeves as he went. That would make him feel much better.

K
im frowned
at the man piloting the small motorboat out to them.

Bart turned to her with sweat on his brow, looking terrified at what the two of them were about to face. But Kim didn’t think the whole thing should be delayed by an entitled man who thought the world obviously revolved around him.

They had a captain. The rest of the guests were there. They had a right to leave. In fact, she’d insisted on it. She’d figured that would draw the gorgeous man out when nothing else had seemed to work.

And she’d been right. But she hadn’t expected him to look this angry, standing tall and making the little boat he was piloting look tiny in comparison.

As the craft beat upon the waves, he was barely jarred, and as his ponytail whipped behind him in the wind and he pinned those blue eyes on her even at a distance, a chill ran through her.

She had the sudden urge to run and not face what she’d done, but that wasn’t an option. They were on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and it’d be kind of a swim back to the dock. Plus, the man would probably follow her around in that dinghy, trying to run her over.

She took a step back and looked at Bart, the captain. “Um, might be a good time to show me to my room.”

“I can’t, miss. I’m driving.”

“Right, totally,” she said. “Um, I’ll just see which one isn’t taken.”

“Wait—” he said, obviously wanting her to stay and take some of the blame. But as the tall, angry-looking man got closer, she found her bravery fleeing. At least he seemed to be Bart’s friend and acquaintance.

He’d seemed to hate her from the moment he met her.

She quickly disappeared below deck to the cabins with the bedrooms. There were four, not including the crew quarters upstairs.

As she walked to her cabin, she bumped into something hard and pleasant, and looked up into the eyes of a nice-looking man who must also be a tourist here.

He was tall, taller than her anyway. Slim but muscled, with a nice, light-pink linen shirt, wavy dark hair, pale but smooth skin, and kind blue eyes.

Then what looked like his wife or girlfriend stepped out from beside him.

Damn, not going to get lucky on this trip it appeared.

“I’m Trudy. This is my husband Zeke,” the woman said.

Kim raised an eyebrow at the passive-aggressive warning in her tone. “Nice to meet you,” she said, shaking both of their hands. Sure, the man had given her an appreciative look when they’d bumped into one another, but that was it. Nothing to get snitty over. She wasn’t looking to take another woman’s man.

Truthfully, she’d just like some alone time with that man who was angrily chasing them down, but that didn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon. At least in the way she wanted.

He’d probably want some alone time just to yell at her.

“Um, can we help with something?” Zeke asked in a soft voice. His wife stood behind him. She had fluffy blond hair that was frizzing in the humidity and a pinched little face that would probably be pretty if it didn’t look so hateful.

“Just looking for my room.”

“They’re all small. Just find one that isn’t taken,” a friendly voice said from a cabin on the other side of the cramped hallway.

The interior of the ship had wood paneling and a narrow hallway with two small cabins on either side, which consisted mainly of a small full-sized bed and a tiny closet. The ceiling-to-floor ratio was about half the size of a normal room.

She looked to the room on her left and decided no one was in it yet. She turned to go get her bags but then realized she had a chance of seeing grumpy pants if she did.

But wouldn’t they have to stop the boat for him to try and board? She’d just have to hurry. She jumped up the steps, shuffled across the deck to her stuff, hauled it over her shoulders, and made the mistake of looking out at the water.

He was much closer. Damn, he was beautiful when he was angry. She jumped back down and went into her room, sighing when the door was shut. She set down her bags and opened the tiny window so the sea breeze could come in and cool her off. Too much running around in the sun.

Not to mention how hot the ship’s captain made her. She was resting on the mattress and removing her tee shirt so she could be just in her tankini top when there was a short knock and then the door opened to her room. She clutched her shirt to her out of reflex and gasped as a man appeared at the door.

“Excuse me?” she said, sitting up.

He averted his eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be changing that fast.”

She grinned. “Just my swimsuit. But in the future, you should knock first, wait, and then open.” She should be angrier, but the guy was gorgeous, and he couldn’t have thought there was anything to wait for this early on in the trip.

Plus, he wasn’t the ship captain, and that knock had scared her half to death, making her think it was.

Then man in front of her was tall and blond but with hair that seemed bleached or highlighted to be so. He was muscled but more the top-heavy type she associated with men who spent all their time in the gym. He wore a skintight sports shirt and seemed proud of the way his pecs strained against it, making his nipples visible.

He had a square-cut, handsome face that she would have taken more seriously if she hadn’t had the captain to compare him to. He was like a sirloin when she was still hoping for some filet mignon.

When the filet calmed down, that is.

Shit, the boat was stopping. She braced a hand on the doorway and stumbled as the craft lurched and lunged against the ocean waves as it slowed.

The man at the doorway reached forward to catch her, and she felt her face erupt in a blush as she was pressed up against him.

“Least I can do after walking in on you,” he said.

She grinned. “What’s your name?” Her top bared her shoulders, generous cleavage, and arms, but she didn’t feel self-conscious at all. She was a woman who loved life, and that included eating lots of good food, having fun, and flaunting what you got.

“Wilson,” he said. “And you’re Kim?”

“How’d you know?” she asked, looking up into his eyes.

“Truthfully, I noticed you earlier this week, when you checked in. I actually came on the boat hoping to meet you.”

She swallowed. That was a little weird, right? Feeling odd about it, she pushed out of his arms and looked him up and down. She didn’t think there was anything off about him, but that was a little stalkerish.

But she had bigger problems to deal with. She could hear angry shouting from above deck and winced. The “captain” would be coming aboard soon, presumably taking the last cabin.

That’s if he didn’t throw her overboard first.

“What’s wrong?” Wilson asked, looking concerned. His eyes were a dull olive green. If he thought to protect her from the monster that was coming, he’d better think again. Wilson was well-muscled and a few inches over six feet, but the man coming after her was about 6’6”, well over Wilson’s height, and heavily muscled from head to toe. Not to mention intimidating as hell.

“Um, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll finish changing. Looks like a good time for a swim, right? No, maybe I’ll take a nap. Yes, tell the captain that.”

Wilson opened his mouth to ask a question, but she shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him, securing the flimsy lock she didn’t think would hold. It was just a little switch you turned that turned a tiny hook inside the door to hold it to the other side. More a way of keeping it closed than locking it.

She heard a series of bumps and cursing upstairs and then the unmistakable voice of the captain. Well, he wasn’t the captain anymore. Just Sebastien. It’d be hard to get used to that since she’d been calling him the captain in her head since the first time she’d seen him docking his boat from the balcony of her suite.

She heard Sebastien’s angry voice getting louder.

“Where is she?” he boomed out. “Bring her out here. Wait, is she below deck? I’ll go get her.”

It was more words than she’d heard from him probably since she’d met him. At least, more words about her. Hey, at least she was finally worthy of his notice. She winced at the attention-seeking part of her that was glad he noticed her at all.

She put her back to the door, trying to hold it closed. She really didn’t want to have to face him while he was still angry. She liked riling people up, but she didn’t like dealing with them afterward.

She heard his heavy footsteps clambering down into the cabin area and gulped.

“Is this her room? No? This one?” his voice boomed. It was loud, more assertive than she would have guessed from their interaction before.

“Kim?” he asked, knocking. “Get out here.”

“No,” she called back. “I’m changing.” She heard a frustrated huff and murmurs from the others in the hallway.

“I don’t have time to deal with you now. I need to make sure Bart is on schedule and deal with him for being insubordinate. But make no mistake; we will deal with this later.”

And then his footsteps faded away in a huff. She sighed and relaxed against the door, then realized he’d said he was going to go take it out on Bart. She couldn’t allow that, not when it was all her fault completely.

She quickly pulled off her pants, leaving her bikini bottoms and tying a black sarong around her waist for coverage. It was getting hot out there.

She put on flip-flops, opened her door, peeked out, and saw no one was in the hall. They all must be in their rooms. She heard the captain’s—no, Sebastien’s—voice and walked upstairs cautiously, keeping an eye out for him.

Sure enough, he was arguing angrily with Bart, who was trying lamely to defend himself.

“It’s my fault,” she said, walking up to him with folded arms. She was a good deal taller than Bart but nowhere near as tall as Sebastien.

Sweat dotted his brow and a few strands of his hair clung to the sides of his face. He’d clearly had to run to catch a boat to get to them, and he wasn’t happy about it. He was wearing a white shirt that was much too hot for this, and his captain’s hat was nowhere to be seen, leaving his ponytail to whip in the wind, the only cooling element around.

He studied her, a muscle twitching in his taut jaw. He had an angular face, a long jaw leading to a sharp chin with a slight divot in the middle. A sharp, straight nose, high brows and cheekbones, and full lips with a slight pout to them. Though that could have been because he was angry. He was deeply tanned, and she found herself wondering if the tan went under his clothes.

She grinned at the thought of finding out.

“You’re thinking something dirty, aren’t you?” he asked, his anger turning to a smirk. “One-track mind. Well, you got Bart here in trouble.”

“You’re not the captain,” she said. “He is.”

“Right, but he’s not supposed to leave without a first mate.” He stared her down, folding his arms to mirror her pose. She could intimidate a lot of people, but not him.

He looked down at her. “Nice view,” he said sardonically.

She flushed, looking down at her bikini top, which flashed liberal cleavage. “Thanks,” she said. “Same to you.” His shirt was slightly open at the front, revealing cut, muscled pecs.

His mouth twitched, but he turned away. “You put everyone in danger. If something had happened to the primary staff member, what would you have done?”

“I can drive a boat,” she blurted, then wished she hadn’t. That was a total lie, and she didn’t know what had driven her to say it.

“If you don’t mind, you can take the helm, and I’m going downstairs to check on the passengers,” Bart said, probably hoping to take advantage of Sebastien’s attention being elsewhere.

“Stop right there,” Kim and Sebastien said at the same time. They looked at each other and a stream of electricity sparked between them. They were both incredibly strong-willed people, both used to getting their way. They were flint and stone, and so it seemed inevitable they’d spark together.

“If you’re going to be captain, you stay at the helm,” Sebastien said to Bart, keeping his eyes on Kim.

His eyes were the color of the ocean behind him. A vibrant mix of blue and green but lighter, sparkling with some unknown emotion. His hair whipped behind him in the air, and she longed to reach up, wind that ponytail around her fist, and pull him in.

He took in a sharp breath, as if he could sense her intentions, and then wheeled away from her, heading to the back of the ship. “Come here. Now.”

The authoritative tone in his voice made her knees weak, and she followed him away from Bart to where no one could hear them. The ship was long, probably about fifty feet or more, and with the breeze flying past them as the ship cruised forward, she knew their conversation wouldn’t carry on the air.

But either way, she wouldn’t let him chide her like a child. She faced him with folded arms and a thrust-out chest. His eyes moved over her, catching at her hips where her sarong was whipping wildly, threatening to blow away.

He reached for it, and she let out a little gasp, but all he did was tie it deftly, his rough fingers brushing against hers. The knot he tied looked intricate.

He grinned at her and the effect was unexpected. He had beautiful, straight teeth, but his smile was crooked, wicked. Standing there on the deck with no jacket and his white shirt whipping in the wind, his khakis rolled up, he looked every bit the pirate of her dreams.

He bit his lip as he tilted his head and looked her over again and then seemed to remember he should be angry.

He took a step forward, backing her against the rail. “You shouldn’t have hijacked my boat, princess.” He put a hand on either side of her, caging her, making her feel small in the most delicious way, ready to yield to his superior strength and bend to his every whim. “You should be punished.”

She raised her eyes sultrily and pushed her boobs a little closer together. “Yes, I probably should. I was a very bad girl.” She grinned up at him as his intense eyes focused in on her mouth. He got even closer, nearly pressing against her. He bent down so his lips were just a hair’s width away.

“You’ll have to… swab the deck.”

“I have to… what?” She pushed him and he walked away, laughing, hands behind his head. “Excuse me?”