Catching the Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Callaghan Clan Book 3) (5 page)

Bo smiled so wide I stopped breathing. Charm galore and dimples for miles. “You can ride me.”

“What?” I shouted as Calvin tried to hide his laugh.

“Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, Kenzie” Bo teased. “You can ride my bear.”

I raised my brows and crossed my arms, knowing he chose those words on purpose.

“Seriously. I’m like a horse.”

“You are incorrigible.”

“No! I meant that you can sit on my back and I’ll take you through the woods.”

But his devious grin and the way he’d sauntered closer to me told me that he knew exactly what he was saying. And I kind of loved it. It had been so long since I’d let anyone truly in. And it was fun to flirt. Even if that meant I was flirting with a potential disaster.

A sexy, handsome grizzly shifter disaster.

“You two ready?” Calvin asked.

Bo looked toward me. “Yep,” I said.

“Keep up, grizzly,” Calvin said a second before he dropped his pants and jumped into the air. By the time he hit the ground, he was running on all fours. I only caught his tail, but from what I could see, he was about twice the size of a normal mountain lion.

“He always does that,” Bo grumbled.

He unzipped his jeans and I found myself having a hard time pulling my gaze away. I was definitely curious as to what lay underneath. Unfortunately, he caught me staring.

“Enjoying the view?”

Oh my god. I covered my eyes and turned away. “How long does it take for you to shift—” Bo’s naked body rubbed up against me, stopping the words in my throat. His erection pressed against my lower back and I wanted to turn and look. Between the pounding heart, a confused brain, and the heat building between my legs, I found that I couldn’t speak.

Bo rubbed his hands up and down my arms gently, his lips right next to my ear. “Are you ready for this?”

Yes. Take me
. “For what?”

His soft lips kissed my neck. Just one light kiss but it was certainly in the right spot. “Your big adventure.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he stepped away from me and I felt the magic in the air as he shifted into his grizzly.

I’d wanted to see his change, and maybe he’d let me some other time. Even though I spun on my heels fast enough to make me dizzy, I’d missed it. It had happened that fast. A surge of jealousy washed over me, but I had no reason to feel that way. I hadn’t been born a shifter. I’d been born something else. It wasn’t Bo’s fault I couldn’t change as easily as him.

The giant blond grizzly in front of me dropped his head and pushed his snout forward. With a smile and complete admiration, I reached out and brushed my fingers over the top of his head. The softness of his thick fur surprised me. It was almost like he conditioned it. I giggled, not putting it passed Bo to do something like that. He did seem to dress to impress.

When I laughed, Bo nudged me. He practically knocked me over since his shoulders were at the same height as mine. “Hey, take it easy there, bud. I’m tiny.”

Huffing a breath in my face, Bo turned and sat on his haunches. It was my cue to climb aboard. Smiling at what I was about to do, I grabbed his scruff and hauled myself onto his back. He was just about as wide as a horse, making my legs stick almost straight out. But when he stood, I wrapped them around his chest the best I could and leaned forward in preparation.

Bo grunted and then took off. Slowly at first, allowing me to get a feel for his gait. I briefly wondered if he’d done this before and knew that I would need a few strides to adjust, but then I knocked it out of my brain. No point in ruining this moment with speculation. By the time the fire was just a dim glow, Bo moved at a fast trot. Giggling at the way he deftly weaved in and out of the trees, I relished in the feel of the wind against my face. I was riding a grizzly. Who does this?

Thinking about how much this beat dodging pedestrians as I walked down the streets of New York, I surprised myself. I hadn’t been this far into a forest in so long and I was actually enjoying every minute. Bo breathed heavily as he tried to catch up to Calvin. Although summer in Alaska, the sun was low in the sky, making it really hard for me to see every branch. But somehow, Bo managed to keep me free of any limbs trying to knock me out.

We reached a part of the woods where large boulders started sticking up out of the ground and Bo slowed. He sniffed the air, tracking Calvin. The mountain lion had disappeared the second he’d changed. I tried to find his magic, that electricity that I could sense, yet I felt nothing.

Bo smelled the ground and quickly dodged to the right. I almost slid off his back and had to grab a large chunk of fur to hold on. “Sorry,” I mumbled. But it didn’t even faze him. Instead, we ran straight ahead, climbing a hill and jumping over boulders as they got larger and larger. The world around us brightened. The sun finding a way to break through the trees and revealing herself again.

Bo’s claws scraped on the rocks, slowing so that each foot was placed carefully. He grunted and jerked his head up the hill. Following his gaze, I saw the giant mountain lion lying on a rock outcropping. Calvin looked like he had not a care in the world as he flicked the end of his tail and gave us a bored stare. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the similarities between him and Major. I knew what that look meant—he wanted to know what took us so long.

After climbing as high as he could, Bo knelt down so that I could step off his back. I didn’t want to get off yet. I wanted more. But then my stomach growled.

Slowing sliding off his majestic grizzly form, I found my footing again. Patting his shoulder, I nestled up against him. “Thank you,” I whispered into his ear. “That was amazing.”

And it was. And it scared me just how much I was beginning to enjoy this kind of life in just a short amount of time.

I’d never allowed a woman to see my grizzly before, let alone have her ride me. So I never would have thought I’d enjoy it so much. Holy hell, Kenzie had been in my life for half a day and she was already changing everything about me.

I didn’t know how I felt about that. And neither did my bear. Actually, that wasn’t true. He loved the feel of her against him. He wanted to protect her and make her laugh and hunt for her. Everything that he would do for a mate he wanted to do for Kenzie.

Shit.

I watched her crawl up the large rock outcropping so that she was sitting next to Calvin. He followed her closely with his yellow-green eyes but I could hear the purr coming from his chest. She had made an instant impression on one of the most notorious anti-social shifters in our state. No one could deny her charm, including myself. Sure, I liked any attractive female, but the fact that Kenzie had interested my bear made her that much more of a conquest for me.

I wanted her. We both wanted her.

“You’re almost as big as Major,” Kenzie giggled as she stroked Calvin’s chin. With closed eyes and something that looked like a smile on his face, he was enjoying her touch way too much. I let a small growl escape my lips, and Kenzie instantly turned. “Relax, Bo. You’ll get your snuggles next.”

Calvin opened one eye and stared at me. Kenzie couldn’t see his look but I knew, I just knew he was egging me on. I would have shown him who was boss had I not caught the scent. Both Calvin and I turned at the same time look out over the meadow that lay below us. A stream rippled through the marshy area leading into a small pond at the far end of the clearing. The light breeze made the grasses sway back and forth like continuous waves.

And a large male moose had just stepped into view.

Calvin sat up, his tail flicking even faster now, his ears twitching back and forth. Kenzie stayed on her knees and leaned forward to see what had us so interested. She was too close to the edge. Calvin gave her a small hiss, and she pulled back. While I didn’t like that he’d done that to her, I realized all of those years with her hanging out with Major actually helped her understand some type of communication with another big cat.

A low rumble grew in Calvin’s chest, exciting my bear. I looked at Kenzie and jerked my chin toward the back of the rock. She stuck her tongue out at me but slid back away from the drop off. Good Kenzie.

Calvin made a chuffing sound and looked at me. I nodded and a second later, he bounded out over the edge. He could do that. I couldn’t. But I understood that he wanted me to flank the moose, so I hurried down the part of the hill that wasn’t so steep, leaving Kenzie behind to watch the hunt. I hated leaving her, but we must provide for her. Must provide for our mate.

Stop that!
I yelled at my bear. Kenzie was not my mate. I didn’t want a mate. Not now, not ever.

I was so distracted by the bear instincts racing through me that I didn’t see Calvin give chase to the moose until it was too late. The beast turned so quickly, he almost smashed Calvin into the ground. The mountain lion screamed out, no doubt a call to me, but I was too far away. Plus, I’d been spotted. The moose didn’t run toward me and he didn’t run at Calvin. Instead he leapt in the air higher than I would have thought possible, jumped out of the marshy grass, and bolted back the way he came. Calvin chased him for a few seconds, but the distance was too great. He roared, a unique sound I’d only heard a couple of times before. Birds took flight and something else crashed through the surrounding woods trying to escape the angry predator.

Following the stream toward Calvin, I watched the water and had an idea. Calvin emerged from the tall grass, covered in mud—one spot that looked just like a moose hoof. I huffed, asking him if he was okay but he just shook his head and glared at me. I gave him my back, a sign that I wasn’t afraid of him and that it wasn’t my fault. Knowing he would follow, I trotted along the side of the stream until it opened up into the pond.

With front feet planted firmly on the shoreline, I watched. And waited. And waited. But then I saw it and pounced. In less than a second I’d grabbed a large lake trout in my teeth and shook it once to break its spine. Then I tossed it to the side and looked at Calvin. He hissed at me and darted into the grass again. Whatever. One fish wasn’t going to be enough so I hunted for more. Ten minutes later, I’d killed three and figured that should be good for tonight. These trout were the size of salmon and I just hoped that Kenzie would be okay with eating fish.

Scooping up all three in my mouth, I started to make my way back toward Kenzie when the grass rustled beside me. I turned, only to see Calvin’s head peek through, two jack rabbits dangling from his jaw. Flicking my kills his way, he did the same.
Fine, you caught something too.

When we reached Kenzie, she squealed in delight, giving each of us a big hug. The trip back to Calvin’s den seemed shorter this time, but perhaps that was because I was starving and the fresh taste of raw meat in my mouth made me move a little faster.

Calvin and I both dropped our kills near the fire and prepared to change. Kenzie knelt down and studied the blaze, eyes drifting over to us every once in a while. Not sure what she was thinking, I shifted back so that I could speak to her again. By the time I’d pulled up my pants and set the ball cap back on my longish hair, the fire had doubled in size.

“Did you do that?” I asked with a grin.

She shrugged shyly. “I’m good with fires.”

Staring at her in amazement, I wondered why that was. She certainly didn’t seem like a country girl. But then again, she’d surprised me numerous times already.

Calvin emerged with a large knife in one hand and a glazed jug in the other. “Here,” he said, shoving the bottle in my face.

“What is it?” I asked as I took it.

“Moonshine.”

“What? That’s a real thing?” Kenzie asked.

Calvin cut the heads off of the rabbits and let the blood drip into a hole in the ground. Kenzie flinched. “Of course it is. But only true mountain men know how to make this kind.” Calvin leaned over the fire like he had a secret. “I use juniper berries in mine.”

“Oh,” Kenzie said, trying to be polite. “That sounds wonderful.”

I pulled a cut tree stump up next to her and sat down close enough that our knees touched. A spark of electricity soared through my leg. Scooting even closer, I flashed her one of my trademark grins. “Ladies first,” I said, holding out the jug. When she didn’t take it right away, I pushed it into her lap. “I need to filet the fish.”

“Oh, right.” She sounded startled as she grabbed the container. “Hey, can’t grizzlies skin a fish in like three seconds?”

“Two.” I said with a smile.

She popped out the cork and took a whiff. Her brows furrowed and she scrunched up her nose. So damn cute. Eyeing Calvin who sat on the other side of the blaze preparing the rabbit meat, she leaned in close to me. Her wonderful cinnamon scent filled my nose and ignited my bear. “I don’t know if I can drink this,” she whispered.

I chuckled and bent over to speak into her ear. “Just a sip. It would be rude to not accept his gesture. The mountain lions,” I shot a quick glance at Calvin, “they don’t like to share things.”

Her lips formed a little “O” and she mouthed the word “Okay.”

Whatever was happening inside of me almost made me lose my shit. Kenzie was so genuine, so…amazing that I forgot she wasn’t a shifter for a minute. But she knew about us and there was something different about her even if she wasn’t ready to tell me. There was something unique and she had my bear coming to the surface more in these last twelve hours than he had my entire life.

Calvin finished sticking his rabbits on a skewer and I used one of his cast iron pans to cook the fish. Kenzie prepped the baked potatoes Calvin had hidden in his den and we feasted and laughed until midnight. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen Calvin enjoy himself so much and if I was being honest, I could say the same about me. Usually by this time, I would have bedded Kenzie and sent her on her way. That’s how I worked. But tonight…it was so nice just to listen to her stories about Major and answer all of her questions she had for Calvin and me.

Kenzie rested her head against my shoulder as Calvin described his life growing up in New Orleans. With my arm wrapped around her lower back, I felt content. Calm for the first time ever. Sure, I wanted to rip her clothes off and see every freckle on her body, but I was also taking in the feel of her against me. Comfortable enough with me to relax. She knew I was a grizzly and that hadn’t scared her away. In fact, we’d been growing closer every minute that passed.

Kenzie let out a yawn and giggled. “Sorry boys, but I think I’m beyond jet-lagged at this point.” She looked up and me then over to Calvin with a worried glance. “Wait. Where are we going to sleep?”

Calvin started to say something, probably offering up his den, but I jumped up and told her my plan. “I brought a tent. Unless you prefer sleeping in the Jeep.” I felt Calvin’s eyes studying me but I didn’t care what he thought. Kenzie was mine not his.

She stood and stretched. Her shirt rode up a few inches, allowing me to see the porcelain skin underneath. In the fire light she practically glowed. A low rumble ignited in my chest, my bear clawing to the surface again. We both liked what we saw.

But Kenzie was special. She deserved more than a one night stand even if it would kill me not to be able to touch her tonight. She was watching me and I had to pull my eyes away from her stomach.

“How big is this tent,” she asked with a smirk.

“Two person.”

“And sleeping bags?”

“Two of them.”

“Hmmm….” She walked over to me and placed her tiny hands on my chest. “Fine, but no monkey business.”

“I’m a bear.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Yes. Yes, I know.” Turning to Calvin she handed him his jug, still half full of moonshine. “Thank you so much for letting us stay here tonight.”

He bowed his head and started stamping out the fire. “My pleasure.”

“Wait here,” I said. “I’ll go grab our stuff. Why don’t you find a good spot for a tent?” I tapped her nose and hustled off before she could slap me. A few minutes later, I popped back up over the hill and found Kenzie dragging some smaller logs through the underbrush. Jogging over, I set the camping gear on the ground and took the log from her. “What are you doing?”

“Well, this spot looked like the flattest and most comfortable place for a tent. But there were some big branches in the way.”

I stared at her in awe. Ms. City Girl
had
actually found the perfect spot. Smiling, I continued to pull the small logs out of the clearing while Kenzie unzipped the tent bag.

“So how do I—oh!” The tent flipped open and immediately took shape. Kenzie covered her heart like she’d been frightened. “Now that is awesome. I’ve never seen one of those before.”

Laughing at her amazement, I set the tent in the middle of the open area. “Pretty sweet, right?”

“Very sweet.”

Using a rock to jam the stakes into the ground, I was finished in under a minute. “My brothers make fun of me.”

“For what?” she asked sincerely while she handed me the sleeping pads and bags.

“They say a pop-up tent is not manly enough. In fact, they don’t even use tents most of the time.”

She looked surprised but then her lips turned up into a smile. “Well, I am very glad that you brought a tent. I’m not sure how I’d do sleeping out under the stars in the middle of these woods.” She shuddered and I had to stop myself from scooping her up.

“We would protect you out here,” I said, jerking my chin back toward Calvin’s den.

Kenzie climbed into the tent and spread out the sleeping bags. Then she scooted to the back and patted the space next to her. Kicking off my shoes, I squeezed my giant body through the tiny hole and zippered us inside. She giggled when I brushed against her.

“I can’t see a damn thing,” she said.

“Got you covered, babe.” I grabbed her hand and pressed it against the opening for her bag.

She started to scoot in but then stopped. I could smell the embarrassment in her before she said anything, “Okay, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way but…I can’t stand sleeping in clothes.” She sucked in a breath and quickly added, “I mean other than my underwear.”