Brash Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 3) (5 page)

Nick came up to her and said
with a sigh, “Josh is right. You do need to get your locks
fixed, Bella.”

“He could have asked
first,” she said hotly, still seething.

“He could have,”
Nick conceded. “But...”

“You're wasting time,”
Josh said to Nick, not taking his eyes off his work. He turned his
head to the side and addressed Bella without looking at her.
“Anyway, we're not asking you to pay for this.”

Bella whirled round. “I
will pay you for your work,” she said, glaring at the back of
his head.

“Pieces of your ceiling
are raining down in your bedroom,” Joshua continued as he
hammered something into place. “Don't sleep in your bedroom
tonight.”

Bella bit back a sharp
retort. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't his business where she
slept at night. But he was right. Her ceiling was flaking and
crumbling, and a piece of plaster had fallen onto her bed last night.

“You don't have to tell
me what to do. Who are you to tell me where to sleep?” she
fumed.

Joshua put down his hammer
and rose to his full height. Towering over her, he said in a low
voice, “I won't ever tell you what to do, Bella. But I will
stop you from doing something that will put you in danger. Even if
you don't want me to.”

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

Joshua stared into her
flashing gray eyes and resisted the urge to grab her. Bella stood
her ground and stared right back at him, her chest rising and falling
with her harsh breathing. Gone was the shy, reserved woman he saw at
his brother's wedding last night. Under that demure, quiet demeanor
was a hot-blooded, passionate woman. And damn, he seemed to know
just how to push her buttons.

Beneath her anger he saw her
roiling, simmering desire and hunger. She was angry and aroused, and
she was leaning ever so slightly towards, not away from him.

She wanted to touch him. Her
hands were trembling at her sides and she had to clench them into
fists to stop herself from pressing against his chest.

He was right about her. She
built a tough, cool outer shell around herself, but her center was
molten fire. There was passion and fire in her eyes and her hot,
little body was quivering with both rage and lust.

“Bella...” he
growled.

She took a shuddering breath
and closed her eyes for a moment. “You got the job,” she
whispered at last and stepped away.

Joshua reached for her but
she twisted away with a wince. “What?”

“I'd like Beck's
Builders to do up my house,” she said in a clearer, stronger
voice. “I'd be grateful if you could quote me a good price for
the job. I can't afford...”

“We'll give you our
best price,” Nick said, looking from Joshua to her. His blue
eyes narrowed as he studied them both intently and suspiciously. But
Nick was careful not to let his suspicion and unhappiness show.
Replacing his frown with a pleasant smile, Nick ushered Bella to the
dining table and said, “Let's sit down and discuss the details.
I'll go through exactly what we'll do and you can let me know your
budget...”

Bella nodded and released the
breath she had been holding. “Yes. Thank you. Let's do
that.”

Joshua watched them sit down
at the dining table with a pen and some paper. Nick began to talk
and gesture animatedly as he explained the work that needed to be
done to her house. He couldn't see Bella's expression but her back
was ramrod straight. She murmured and nodded once or twice.

Grinding his teeth, Joshua
tried to concentrate on repairing the lock on her front door. But
his eyes kept darting to her. He found himself staring at the
tendrils of auburn hair that clung to her nape. She had her red
curls piled high on her head and she was wearing a flowing cotton
dress that molded to her generous, womanly figure.

Joshua glared at Nick. The
guy seemed to be enjoying himself in her company, chatting, joking
and laughing with her. Joshua watched him like a hawk, but Nick's
eyes never wandered lower. He kept his gaze on Bella's face and
didn't feast his eyes on her delectable bosom. Good for him. Joshua
would hate to go bear on Nick and gouge out his eyes.

Nick stood up and shook
Bella's hand just as Damien came bounding out from the back of the
house. “All done,” Damien announced. “You can
sleep like a baby tonight, Bella. I guarantee that no one will be
able to break your locks.”

Joshua checked his own work
and nodded in satisfaction. Yep, these locks were solid.

“But of course, someone
could still smash her windows unless we put grills on them,”
Damien deadpanned.

Joshua saw both Damien and
Nick watching his reaction closely. Damien was testing him. The sly
bugger had said that just to provoke him.

Joshua turned to Bella and
asked professionally, “Do you want to install grills over your
windows, Bella?”

She shook her head. “I
don't think that will be necessary.”

Damien raised a brow at
Joshua as he twirled the hammer expertly like a baton. “Well,
she's the boss. We always respect the client's wishes, don't we,
Josh?” he taunted.

Joshua didn't answer.
Instead, he slammed the lid of his toolbox shut and walked out.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Bella finished brushing her
teeth and flicked off the toilet light. She stood at the foot of her
bed and glanced up at the ceiling. The water stain was getting
bigger, and bits of plaster and old paint littered the floor.

She planted her hands on her
hips and huffed. Joshua had told her, no, ordered her not to sleep
in her bedroom. Yes, ordered, in that stern, demanding,
authoritative voice of his.

She had a mind to just flop
onto her bed and sleep here, in her bedroom—just to defy him.
But that would be plain silly and childish. It was like cutting off
your nose to spite your face.

Growling, she grabbed her
pillow and covers and stormed to the living room. She made herself
comfortable on the couch and stared at the new, shiny handle and lock
on her front door.

Those guys had done a good
job. She did feel safer now. She was just lucky that no one had
tried to break into her house these past few nights.

Well, there was nothing
valuable in her house, except…

Bella gulped. Her
grandmother's ring. It was her family heirloom, and she kept it
hidden in her suitcase. It was the only ring she ever owned and she
treasured it dearly.

What if someone broke into
her house and stole that precious ring? Joshua was right, she
acknowledged grudgingly. But he didn't have to be so domineering and
pushy. What did he have to get so angry for? This wasn't even his
house!

But even as she stewed, she
knew that Joshua was angry because he cared. He took charge and took
care of her safety without even being asked. He was the complete
opposite of her ex-husband, Harlan. Harlan expected her to take care
of him, take care of everything. He asserted himself only when he
wanted something from her. He would never do what Joshua did.

Do something good for her,
quietly, firmly, stubbornly. Joshua didn't care if he pissed her
off. He wasn't out to impress her or charm her. He didn't even
flatter her or try to win the job for his company. He just barged in
and fixed what he saw needed to be fixed. He was brusque, brash and
bossy.

He didn't care if he pissed
her off. But he cared...for
her
.

No one had ever done that for
her.

Bella tossed heavily on her
side. Joshua was so different from her ex, yet she kept on comparing
him to that loser just because of his age. She wasn't being fair,
but she didn't want to risk being burned again.

The attraction was there. It
was undeniable. Bella cursed loudly and pulled the covers over her
head. What was she doing? She was getting blinded again. She had
to keep her eyes open—and her heart closed.

She had sworn off men and
yet here she was, barely a week into her new life and falling
in...lust with a younger guy.

Lust. It had to be lust.

She was a sucker for tall,
handsome men who were no good for her.

Bella flung the covers back
down and stared at the patchy, peeling ceiling.

Nick had written down his
mobile and home numbers on that piece of paper before he left. And
he had suggested having dinner together one weekend.

Nick was a nice guy, an
older, responsible, reliable guy. If she was going to dip into that
treacherous dating pool, she should go with Nick.

But…

“I want Josh.”

There. She'd said it.

She had hoped that when
uttered out loud, the words would sound completely frivolous and
ridiculous, and she would finally come to her senses.

Instead, the said words had
the opposite effect. It confirmed and solidified her heart's desire.

She did want Josh.

She shouldn't want him, but
try telling that to her traitorous, defiant heart and body.

Jolting up, she flung the
covers aside in frustration. This wasn't working. She was supposed
to
not
think of him.

Pulling the curtains aside,
she looked out the window and started.

No. Surely she was
hallucinating.

That couldn't be his car
across the street, could it? What was Joshua doing here in front of
her house in the middle of the night?

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

Joshua reclined the driver's
seat and adjusted his broad body in the confined space of his car.
It was a sturdy SUV, but sitting for hours in the car with little
space to stretch his long legs wasn't too comfortable.

He should be sleeping in his
bed. Snug, comfy—and alone.

He was all too aware that he
was the only unmated bear in the house. His two brothers were all
mated and loved up, and he was genuinely happy for them. They
deserved every bit of their happiness.

The three of them hadn't had
an easy start to life. Circumstances had thrown them together and
they had become a family.

Joshua smiled at the memory
of Marcus trying his best to be a parent to Jax and him. Marcus
tried to be strict with them, but his efforts always backfired. They
would pull all sorts of pranks of their hapless big brother, goading
him and teasing him. It wasn't easy to raise two battered, angry
bear cubs, but Marcus did it.

Marcus was the best big
brother anyone could ask for. He and Staci made a wonderful couple.
And now, even Jax was happily married. His baby brother was now a
dutiful, devoted husband and father.

Joshua had laughed at his two
brothers and teased them about losing their freedom, but it seemed
the laugh's on him. Marcus and Jax were blissfully enjoying their
mates while he was stuck out here aching and pining under the moon.

He kept telling himself to
drive home and get back to his own bed, but every time he reached for
the ignition, he pulled back.

He couldn't drive away and
leave her.

He had to watch over her.
Make sure she was safe.

It was all that bastard
Damien's fault. Why did he have to mention her blasted windows?

Now his eyes kept scanning
her windows and the shadows around her house, trying to make sure no
one was creeping up to an unsecured window and sneaking into the
house.

Joshua rolled his shoulders
and turned his head. His eyes widened when he caught a movement
behind the faded curtains.

The curtains parted and Bella
stood at the window.

She stared straight at him,
and froze.

Joshua didn't move a muscle.
What was she going to do? Scream? Wake the neighbors? Call the
police?

He wasn't a stalker. Really.
He wasn't.

He put up a hand slowly in
surrender. To his disbelief and astonishment, she waved at him.

He blinked. Bella waved at
him again and disappeared from the window. A second later, her front
door opened.

She stood huddled at her door
and beckoned to him. She was asking him into the house.

Joshua got out of his car and
stood in the middle of the silent street for a full minute. He saw
her smile and mouth,
Come in!

He pinched himself hard and
stifled a yelp. Nope. He wasn't dreaming. The woman of his dreams
was really standing in front of him, inviting him into her house.

Joshua crossed the road and
walked gingerly up her wobbly front steps. “Hi.”

“Hi.” When he
opened his mouth, she pressed a finger to his lips and laughed
softly. “No, you don't have to explain. And no, I don't think
you're a stalker and I'm not scared of you.”

Joshua stared at her as she
closed the door behind them. “How did you know what I was
going to say?”