Brash Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 3) (7 page)

Because I'm afraid
.

Bella shook her head at
herself. She was almost thirty-six. She had a job, owned a house,
yet she was so timid when it came to love. Yes, she had been burned
and yes, her marriage had failed. But that didn't make
her
a
failure. And it shouldn't make her a coward.

When the group of women
left, Nick caught sight of her and whistled. “Bella!”

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

Josh was scrambling down a
ladder and he turned at the sound of her name. Bella smiled and
lifted a hand to wave at Nick, but her eyes were fixed on Josh.

She was vaguely aware of Nick
crossing the road to her, but her whole body seemed to be in tune
with Josh's. She took in every nuance of his expression, every
twitch of his body and memorized every scar on his broad, powerful
body.

There was no denying it.

Josh was the one she wanted.

It was obvious to everyone.
Even Nick.

Nick's smile faltered as he
came towards her. Silently, he followed her gaze and exhaled a slow
sigh. When he turned to her, there was a look of defeat in his eyes.

“All the crucial
repairs are done,” Nick said, his voice flat and impassive.

Bella nodded absently as she
watched Josh. Josh had his back turned to them and was carrying the
ladder away. The tension showed in every line of his body. His
scars seemed to gleam white in the harsh sunlight.

“How did he get those
scars?” she muttered. “They look like...whip marks.”

Nick stood beside her but he
was careful not to touch her. “Josh and Jax, they had a rough
beginning. And—Josh's scars aren't just physical,” Nick
said quietly.

Bella made a sound of pain
and pressed her hand to her chest. She could feel a sudden, acute
pain in her heart. Nick noticed her gesture and stared at her with a
sudden realization in his eyes.

“What happened to Josh
and Jax?” she whispered.

Nick sighed heavily. “The
twins are like my little brothers. But it's not my story to tell.”

“You've known Josh and
his brothers a long time,” Bella said softly.

“I watched the twins
grow up, and I'm really proud of them. Josh is a good guy, but he
feels too much guilt for something which isn't his fault.”

He gave her a long look and
said, “Maybe you'll be the one to pull him out of this.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. When I told
you about his physical and emotional wounds, you actually felt his
pain. You feel for him, deeply. The lucky bastard,” Nick
muttered and gave a quick, crooked smile.

Looking right at her, Nick
said, “There is no doubt. He's yours.”

Bella opened her mouth then
shut it. Why deny it? She would only be fooling herself. Nick
certainly wasn't fooled.

“Damien and I will be
leaving soon. I guess Josh will stay for a bit to pack up. And—do
what needs to be done.” His final words were loaded and Bella
gulped.

“Thank you, Nick,”
she managed.

“You're welcome.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY

Joshua tried to ignore the
sharp pang of jealousy when he saw Nick talking to Bella. They were
standing very close together. Much too close for comfort. Nick's
head was bent towards her as he spoke softly to her, and Bella was
smiling a little and nodding.

Joshua's muscles bulged and
pulsated as his beast rose to the surface and fought to get out. His
bear was roaring inside his head, wanting to charge at that intruding
male and claw out his heart.

His claws gouged into the
ladder as he grabbed the ladder and collapsed it. Throwing the
ladder into the back of his pickup truck, he turned away from the
tormenting sight of Nick and Bella huddled together, their bodies
almost touching.

His bear slammed against his
human form, and he shoved the murderous thoughts out of his raging,
bear head. He couldn't let his beast rage out of control. He knew
Nick's bear was equally ferocious and formidable, so there was little
chance that he would actually kill the big guy. But he didn't want
to hurt a guy who was like a brother to him.

His bear didn't care.
Brother or not, the male was a rival. And a rival had to be
eliminated.

Josh tossed his toolbox into
his truck and slammed the door so hard he almost overturned the
vehicle. He spun round and saw Damien standing a few feet behind
him.

“Eh, Nick said to tell
you that we're leaving now,” Damien said with a shrug.

“Where's Nick?”
Josh asked. “Isn't he across the road…?”
Talking
to Bella
.

Josh spun round and saw Bella
standing under the tree alone. A horn tooted behind him and he saw
Nick sitting behind the wheel of his car. Josh scowled. He'd had
his head so high up his ass that he hadn't noticed Nick slipping into
his car and starting the engine.

Damien jerked his thumb over
his shoulder. Nick had his phone to his ear and he was gesturing
impatiently to Damien.

“I gotta go,”
Damien said, jogging backwards towards Nick's car. “You can
finish the job by yourself, right?” Damien winked and gestured
towards Bella's house.

Joshua gave a curt nod.

Damien blew Bella a kiss as
he jumped into Nick's car. With another toot of his horn, Nick
flashed Josh a lopsided smile as he drove off. There was both envy
and encouragement in that quiet, knowing smile.

You lucky sod. You found
your mate. Don't screw it up, bro.

Josh took a deep breath. He
saw the sadness in Nick's blue eyes, and a part of him felt for the
guy. But he wasn't going to give Bella up. Not for Nick, not for
anyone.

He would give her the space
to sort out her feelings but he would never give her up. A bear
would never give up its mate to another.

Bella was his.

Josh turned at a step behind
him. He already scented her sweet, floral scent and his body
hardened immediately.

He turned around to face
Bella. She was smiling and glancing over at her house. “It
looks great,” she said. “Nick said all the repairs are
done. Just a few minor touch-ups left.”

“Yeah. I'll work
quickly and finish up by tonight,” Josh said. “It should
take a couple of hours and...”

“There's no hurry,”
she said huskily.

Josh saw a faint blush
creeping up her face. “I...I was wondering if you would stay
for dinner,” she stammered. “I'm not a great cook,
but...”

“Dinner sounds great.
Thanks,” he answered, his face splitting in a grin.

“Okay. Ah, I better
get started in the kitchen. I hope you like steak and mashed
potatoes.”

“Bella,” he said
quietly. “I'll eat anything you cook. And I'll love it.”

Her blush deepened as she
ducked into the house. Josh stared after her, and dug his heels into
the ground, refusing to let his horny beast hurtle after her. The
animal would likely tear the door right off its hinges in its haste
to get its paws on its female.

Patience
, he counseled
his sulky bear.

Fine
, his bear growled
back.
We eat. Then we fuck.

Josh scrubbed his hand down
his face. What did it say about him that he couldn't find a logical
argument to counter his bear's lewd suggestion?

CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE

Bella stood up to clear the
dishes but Josh surged to his feet and stopped her. “Let me,”
he said, holding her wrist. “It's the least I can do.”

He took the plates to the
sink and rolled up his sleeves. Bella admired how his shirt
stretched across his broad body. Josh had gone to his truck and put
on a clean shirt before coming into the house for dinner. He didn't
want to sit across the dinner table from her sweaty and bare-chested
like a caveman, he said.

The look on his face had been
priceless when she said teasingly, “I would have appreciated
the view.” He had spluttered and blushed, and looked downright
embarrassed.

He's sweet, Bella thought as
she went to help him dry the dishes. He was sweet, sexy and
protective. He would make a fine husband, she realized. Josh was
honest, hardworking and responsible. It didn't matter that he was
younger than her. There were a lot of older guys who never grew up.
It was just who they were.

Josh turned round to face her
after drying his hands. His gaze was heated and hungry, and when she
took a step towards him, he seemed to freeze in place.

“You look like you're
still hungry,” she whispered, running a finger down his taut
chest.

She was playing with fire,
but she couldn't help it. The knowledge that he wanted her so badly
was heady and empowering. She had decided it was time to shed her
inhibitions and shyness. She had flirted outrageously with him over
dinner. It was fun and intoxicating, and she felt a little drunk.
She had been stoking his fire througho
ut
the evening, and now the fire was raging into an inferno.

Josh's
nostrils flared as she pressed her palms against his chest. He
seemed to be able to scent her desire, but she wasn't embarrassed or
mortified. The look in his eyes inflamed her further, and she didn't
hide her arousal from him.

Wrapping her arms around his
neck, she murmured, “I've been a fool, Josh, a bloody fool.
Will you be willing to take a foolish woman to bed, Josh?”

“You're not a fool,
Bella,” he said, holding her possessively. “I'm the
fool. I was...actually jealous of Nick.”

“I know.” She
smiled. “And it was...kind of a turn-on, seeing you so
jealous.”

Josh growled. “You
made me jealous on purpose?”

Bella squealed when he nipped
her neck. “I'm a single lady. I can flirt with all the single
guys in town, can't I?'

“No. You can't.”
His growl deepened dangerously. “You are mine.”

Bella gasped when he scooped
her up in his arms. “I want you, Bella. If you don't want me
to take you and claim you, tell me now.”

She blinked rapidly as she
swallowed. “I want you, Josh. I've always wanted you,”
she whispered.

Joshua leaned in and kissed
her so tenderly it took her breath away. It was a long, lingering
kiss, and his lips moved slowly and softly over hers. The kiss told
her everything she needed to know. His feelings for her were deep
and true, and he respected, cherished and loved her.

She buried her face in his
neck and breathed in his musky, masculine scent as he carried her to
her bedroom. She felt so safe in his arms, and so right.

As
he laid her down on the mattress, she felt nervous and self-conscious
all of a sudden. She was no spring chicken. She was curvy and
fleshy, not toned, hard and lean. Josh had the body of a
model,
whereas her body was far from perfect.

Scooting to the pillows, she
grabbed two pillows and hugged them to her.

But Josh wasn't deterred.
With a seductive smile, he prowled to her and caught her ankles.

She whimpered when his large,
rough hand closed around her leg. A delicious shiver of anticipation
slithered down her body when she caught the feral gleam in his eye
and glimpsed the tips of his claws.

“I'm going to strip
you and spread you,” he said, his eyes and claws glinting.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO

Josh inhaled sharply and
froze. Under the scent of her arousal was the faint scent of fear.

“Bella,” he said
very softly. “Are you afraid?”

She gulped and gave a jerky
nod.

“Of me?”

Immediately she shook her
head. “No.”

“Then what are you
afraid of? You're safe with me, Bella.”

“I...I'm not young and
sexy and beautiful, Josh. You are a very attractive man, Josh, and I
am only...”

“Bella,” he cut
in, his eyes flashing with anger. He had no doubt that her ex had
constantly belittled her and made her feel ugly and inadequate. She
was too gentle with others, and too hard on herself. “You are
beautiful, sexy, and perfect. And I am going to show you just how
beautiful you are.” He grabbed the pillows and hurled them
away.

Shedding his shirt, he loomed
over her and stripped off his jeans to release his huge, rock hard
erection. Her eyes widened and he saw the shadow of a smile pass her
lips. She could see for herself the effect she had on him. There
should be no doubt in her mind how much he yearned for her.

Tentatively, she moved
towards him and trailed her hand down his bare body. Josh swallowed
convulsively, resisting the urge to grab her. He closed his eyes,
and let her torture him with her touch. He groaned when he felt her
breath on his chest and her lips brush across his jaw.