Brash Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 3) (3 page)

“Let me see you home,”
Joshua said, walking to the door with her. He just couldn't bear to
let her go.

Bella shook her head.
“Thanks, but I'll just...”

“I'll give the lady a
ride.”

Joshua whirled round and
snarled as Nick came striding up with a grin. Nick Sullivan was
Marcus's best friend, and Nick was like a big brother to Jax and
Joshua as well. Nick and Marcus had founded Beck's Builders
together, and Nick had known the twins since they were cubs. He had
looked out for them, helped them with their homework and even cooked
for them when Marcus was busy.

Joshua loved Nick like a
brother, but at this moment, his bear wanted to rear up and tear into
the big guy. Yeah, his claws were out, literally. His bear was
preparing to rip out of his skin and shred the guy.

A guy he knew and loved.

What the hell was wrong with
him?

Joshua glowered at Nick as
the guy came up to shake Bella's hand.

“Nick Sullivan,”
Nick said, thrusting a large hand out at Bella.

“Bella Paige,”
she answered automatically, her hand disappearing into his humongous
one as he shook it enthusiastically.

Nick chatted her up
immediately. Nick was about Marcus's age, and he was suave and
smooth. He said all the right things. He even managed to make Bella
laugh.

“So you're the lucky
lady who got the bridal bouquet,” Nick said, glancing at the
pretty bouquet in her hand. “I heard the girls chattering
about it, but I didn't catch a name. You have a lovely name, by the
way.”

“T-thank you.”

At Joshua's low growl, Nick
raised a brow at him. “You wanna go help your brothers take
care of the guests? They're getting a little rowdy. I'll give Bella
a ride home. Maybe take a drive around town and show her around.
You're new in town, right?” he addressed Bella. “I hope
you're finding Shadow Point to your liking.”

She nodded. “I do like
the town, and the people. Everyone's been really nice.”

Joshua stepped in front of
Nick and cut in, “Come on, Bella. I said I'll give you a ride.
Let's go.”

With effort, he sheathed his
claws and forced his bear down. His bear recognized the other male
as a rival, and his bear was ready to fight to the death for its
mate.

Mate?
His rational,
human mind questioned. Really? Could this shy little human really
be his mate?

But his bear was in no mood
to answer. The crazed, incensed beast wanted Nick's blood.

Joshua didn't want to fight
Nick. And he definitely didn't want to kill the guy.

But if he didn't get Bella
away from Nick right now, he might end up doing just that.

CHAPTER
SEVEN

Bella stared at the big,
blond man in front of her. Nick Sullivan was as tall and broad as
Joshua, but when he smiled, he had a few more lines around his eyes
and mouth. The guy looked to be in his mid to late thirties. He was
definitely older than Joshua by a good ten years or more.

Joshua put his hand
possessively on her elbow and tried to steer her away from Nick. But
Nick took her other hand and pulled her back. “What's the
hurry? Stay for a bit and enjoy the party.”

Bella gasped as Joshua let
out a low, dangerous growl. He glowered at Nick, but Nick didn't
seem to notice. She glanced down and Joshua immediately curled his
fingers into fists to prevent her from seeing his claws.

Nick jabbered on blithely, “I
heard you just moved into that little house at the end of Rainwater
Lane. It's a lovely house. It just needs some touching up—and
propping up.”

“Yes. I've been
meaning to get some work done on the house,” Bella answered
politely. “The roof is leaking and...part of the porch is
falling off.” She brightened up suddenly. “My
renovation loan has just been approved. So...”

“So you should get that
roof and porch fixed before more bits and pieces fall off your
house,” Nick said.

“Yeah, I should. In
fact, I'm going to get some price quotes next week and...”

“Next week? Pfff!”
Nick made a face. “We'll do your house. Beck's Builders.”
Nick fished out a business card and pressed it into her hand.
“Joshua will tell you that we're the best in the business. We
do repair and remodeling work, and the quality of our work is
indisputable. Just ask around.”

Nick threw a muscular arm
over Joshua's shoulder. “I started the business with Joshua's
big brother, Marcus, over fifteen years ago, and when these guys came
on board, we just grew from strength to strength. And we're still
growing! We'll work within your budget, and you won't be
disappointed with the quality. I guarantee it!” Nick puffed
out his massive chest and looked like he was going to thump it with
pride.

Bella had to smile. The guy
was effusive and bubbling over with enthusiasm. “I know the
house needs work,” she agreed. “But—I don't want
to spend too much money on it. I'm kind of...”

“I understand. You
want more bang for your buck. Don't worry, Bella. Your house will
be in good hands. The best.” Nick held up his large,
calloused hands and grinned. “You will be very, very
satisfied,” he drawled, giving her a suggestive smirk.

Bella felt the heat creeping
up her face as she glanced from Nick to Joshua. Both men were tall,
rugged and handsome, and they both seemed really nice.

But there was no mistaking
the hope and desire in their eyes. She might not be as confident and
sassy as many of the women she'd met tonight at the wedding, but she
was still a woman. She could sense when a man was interested in her.
And both Nick and Joshua were definitely very interested.

Bella swallowed and struggled
to breathe as she felt her chest constrict suddenly. The memories,
hurt and doubts crowded into her mind, and a warning bell seemed to
go off in her head.

Her ex, Harlan, had showed
the same interest in her initially. He had been attentive, charming
and witty, but that had all been a facade. He wasn't the man she
thought he was. She had fallen for a fake, a cheat.

Bella blinked rapidly,
grateful that the smile was frozen on her face. She didn't want to
look upset in front of these two handsome strangers.

She backed away slowly and
stammered, “I...I should go now. No, no, I really don't need a
ride.” Forcing air into her lungs, she said vehemently, “I
don't
want
a ride.”

When both Nick and Joshua
looked at her in surprise, she winced and said, “I don't mean
to be rude. But I just want to go home, alone. I'm fine.”

With that, she turned and
fled from them.

She didn't turn around even
when she heard Nick call out, “Wait! I'd like to have your
number!”

CHAPTER
EIGHT

“Bella Paige,”
Nick mused, staring after the scurrying woman. “She's awfully
shy, isn't she? But she's a breath of fresh air. So sweet and
refreshing!”

Joshua could feel his claws
digging into his palms. “You just scared her off,” he
snarled.

“No I didn't. I think
I made a very good first impression,” Nick said smugly. “I'm
pretty confident she'll give us the job.”

“So she's just a job to
you.” Joshua didn't know whether to feel irritated or
relieved.

Nick canted his head, looking
thoughtful. “Actually, no,” he said at last. “She's
a pretty special woman. I might want to get to know her better.”
He waggled his brows. “She's quite a looker too.”

Joshua took a step towards
Nick, his eyes flashing dangerously. His claws and fangs were
lengthening and he could feel the blood lust of his beast surging to
the fore.

Nick wasn't looking at him.
He was laughing at the sight of a bunch of their work mates doing a
rather ungraceful and comical version of the tango. His head was
turned to the side, exposing his jugular to Joshua.

Joshua could so easily kill
him. All it took was a violent swipe and he would bleed to death
from the deep gash...

Joshua sucked in a ragged
breath and shook his head hard, trying to clear it.

What the hell was he doing?
Was he seriously thinking of biting his brother's head off just for
admiring Bella?

The man had just stated the
truth. Bella was a very attractive woman. And he was sure Nick
wasn't the only male who had noticed her. He saw a few males
checking Bella out. New females to the town were potential mates and
as long as Bella was single and available, the males were free to vie
for her attention and affection. All's fair in love and war.

“Fuck.” Joshua
spat. “I'm fucked.”

He turned swiftly and forced
himself to walk away. With a feral growl, he pushed his claws back.
His breaths were coming hard and fast as he lashed his bear down and
put as much distance between Nick and himself as possible.

“Hey, Josh! What...”

Joshua refused to turn around
at Nick's shout. He would never, ever hurt the guy but his bear was
going crazy. His maddened, ravenous bear was spoiling for a fight,
and he was determined not to give in to his beast.

Out of the corner of his eye,
he saw Jax stepping away quickly from a crowd of loud, drunken males
and hurry in his direction. Jax was the bridegroom and he had been
raising his wine glass and beer mug the whole night but he was far
from drunk. In fact, he looked way more sober and clear-headed than
Joshua.

Jax came jogging up to him,
looking worried. “Hey, man. What's going on?”

Joshua jerked his twin's arm
away. He didn't want to be touched right now. Not even by his twin,
who knew him like the back of his hand. “Nothing.”

Jax walked silently out of
the ballroom with him and stood with him at the end of the long
corridor.

“I saw you and Nick
talking to Bella,” Jax said at last.

Joshua gave a curt nod.

Jax waited a beat before
asking slowly, “Is she your mate?”

Joshua scowled. “I
don't know.”

“You want her, don't
you?”

“Yes, but that doesn't
mean anything. My bear is a horny bastard. It likes what it sees,
and it wants what it wants,” he snapped.

“Does Nick think that
Bella is his mate?” Jax glanced towards the ballroom.

“I don't know. And I
don't think he knows either.”

Jax put a hand on his
shoulder. “You're my twin. But Nick is like a brother to me
as well. I won't interfere, but I won't let either of you do
anything stupid.”

“I'm not going to kill
him,” Joshua groused, throwing up his hands.

Jax narrowed his eyes at him.
“But the thought did cross your mind. Don't deny it. I saw
the look in your eyes.”

When Joshua didn't respond,
Jax went on, “I say let the lady choose.”

Joshua jerked and glared at
his brother. “And if...she doesn't choose me?” he
snarled, his fangs pushing out in anger.

“Then she's not your
mate.”

Joshua shot his twin a
disgusted look. “So now you're a know-it-all?”

“Of course!” Jax
beamed. “I'm married now!”

CHAPTER
NINE

Bella sat at her kitchen
table and held the steaming mug of coffee in both hands. She was
thankful it was her off day today. She loved going to the library
and being among all those books but this morning, she just felt like
shutting herself at home.

Social situations seemed to
wear her out and the wedding last night was pretty...intense.

As she sipped her coffee, her
eyes landed on the lovely bridal bouquet which she had caught at Jax
and Serena's wedding yesterday.

Her thoughts inadvertently
flitted not to the happy couple, but the dashing best man. She
remembered how both Nick and Joshua had chatted and flirted with her.
Well, Nick was the one who flirted openly with her. Joshua's
yearning and desire for her was more quiet, more intense. The way he
looked at her, touched her, wanted her…

Her breath caught and she
shook her head quickly.

No. She couldn't let herself
be attracted to Joshua. He was...much too young for her.

Younger men were trouble.
She knew that from experience.

She had married a younger
guy, not much younger, but still. She knew that she shouldn't let
her bad experience skew her view of younger men, but she just didn't
want to get hurt again. She'd been a fool, a dreamer, and it was
time she woke up.

She remembered how her
ex-husband, Harlan, had courted her and showered her with sweet words
and attention initially. He had shown the same keen interest in her
as Nick and Joshua.

Grimacing, she remembered how
Harlan had come to the library counter to make an enquiry, and ended
up chatting her up. He was attentive, friendly, funny and he knew
what to say to draw her out of her shell and put her at ease. It was
flattering. Being intensely introverted, she didn't socialize much.
She'd had only one boyfriend before Harlan but it wasn't anything
serious. She was a romantic at heart, but when it came to
relationships, she wasn't experienced or—to be brutally honest,
smart. She had been too trusting and she had been taken advantage
of.