One in a Bear-llion (Polar Heat Book 3) (2 page)

She turned it over. Her size. How had he known? Why would he go to all that trouble for someone he clearly didn’t want to be around?

The man was a mystery. But the longer she held the soft material in her hands, the more she wanted to put it on.

She was a beautiful woman and she deserved to wear pretty things and feel happy in the water. She turned it over to look at the tag and winced. Expensive. Perhaps he was apologizing for being rude before.

Or perhaps he was being pervy and wanted to see her in it. That thought was kind of exciting. A man like that wanting to see her in such a colorful bikini.

She grinned and put it on, tying the sides tightly in double knots. Then she picked up her towel and slung it over her shoulder. She put a hand on the door handle, took a deep breath, and then walked out into the sun to face him.

H
oly shit
, she was gorgeous.

The bikini was worth every penny. Not just because it put every bit of her amazing hourglass on display for his hungry eyes, but because she was wearing a shy smile that said she enjoyed wearing it even though she’d been too shy to purchase it for herself.

She flounced in front of him down the beach after handing him her bag, now filled with her clothes, for him to put in the car. He hurried to do so and then put up the top and locked the car quickly so he could follow after his curvy little goddess.

Damn, the longer he spent in her presence, the more he had this urge to just follow her around. To not let her out of his sight.

It was those stupid protective instincts.

No, that wasn’t entirely it, because he also wanted to make her happy. Wanted her to have the swimsuit she wanted. He scratched his head as he carried their lunch and an umbrella down to the beach.

It was crowded with families today. He picked a good spot, set things up, and kept his eyes on her all the time.

It was like he kept expecting something to happen, but he didn’t know what.

She was looking out at the ocean with folded arms. Damn, he loved the look of her from the back too. Those curvy arms, that luscious waist he longed to take in his hands. Those wide hips that could accommodate him just right.

Her fruity scent blew toward him.
It must just be the pheromones,
he reassured himself.

But he couldn’t say for sure. She pulled her hair out of its knot and let it blow in the wind. Her ass looked amazing in the little bikini bottom. She was sumptuous; there was no other word for it.

And when she looked over her shoulder with a shy little grin, he almost ran over and picked her up to ravish her right then.

Instead, he flexed one hand into a tight fist and then released it.
Get a hold of yourself, man.

She walked over to him. “Aren’t we going to swim?”

“Sure,” he said. “If you like.”

Oh damn.
The thought of her wet in that bikini made him instantly hard, and he strode toward the ocean quickly, hoping to get in before she noticed the effect she had on him. She was a shy little thing, and he didn’t need to make her more nervous than she already seemed.

M
ara grinned
as she watched Scott walk away. The man had an ass that didn’t quit.

And he wanted her. That was obvious. For the first time in a long time, she had male attention that was fun and exciting rather than terrifying and awful.

She shook away thoughts of the man that had made the last three years of her life utter hell and followed Scott out into the water.

His body looked even better half naked than it did in a suit, rippling muscles from his wide shoulders to his tapered waist and powerful legs. His strides were so much longer than hers. When she got to the spot where the waves broke, she realized he was going to have a much easier time of this than she was.

When she was about waist deep, a wave crashed on them. He easily walked through it, but it took her down. She held her breath as she was swirled in the sandy water.

Then strong arms caught and pulled her up, and she looked into Scott’s surprised blue eyes.

He set her on her feet.

“Sorry, I didn’t think the waves would get you. They generally aren’t bad here.”

She scoffed. “Maybe not when you’re six feet six, but when you’re five feet two…”

She trailed off as she saw his eyes twinkling in amusement. She tried to stomp ahead of him into the waves, only to get knocked back again. He laughed and caught her under her arms.

“If we’re going to get out to the calm part of the water, I guess we’re going to need to change our approach.”

Before she could ask what he meant, he’d scooped her up in his arms and was holding her against his wet, slick chest. She could feel every muscle and loved the feel of her curves against his firmness.

He lifted her to easily pass through the waves, and when they got to the gentle swells, it was only slightly too deep for her to touch. He set her down, and she treaded water.

“Damn, you can’t touch here either?” he asked. “You
are
small.”

She sputtered, but he laughed, taking the sting out of the comment.

“Nothing wrong with that, though,” he said, teasing. “I like ‘em small and curvy.”

“That has nothing to do with me,” she scoffed. “After all, you’re just my guide, and a reluctant one at that.”

“I’m growing less reluctant the longer I see you in that swimsuit,” he said.

She felt blood rush into her face and treaded water facing away from him. She didn’t know if she was trying to hide her irritation or the fact that knowing he thought she was beautiful aroused her, but either way, it always felt like he had the upper hand if he knew what she was feeling.

For a while, they just rose and fell with the waves. She floated on her back, and he kept an eye out.

She couldn’t help but notice how safe she felt and how good that feeling was.

She knew Scott was just doing what his dad had assigned him to do, but she felt comforted nonetheless. She sort of wished she could stay on this island forever. It’d be so much harder for her stalker to reach her here.

And having a family of tough polar bear shifters around didn’t hurt either.

She thought of her family as she floated in the ocean. Her parents were quiet types. They knew about what she’d been dealing with and had supported the vacation one hundred percent. They’d been sad to see her painting taper off then stop altogether.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair one stupid person could ruin another’s life.

“You okay?” Scott’s deep voice resonated from beside her, almost as if he could read her thoughts. “You look intense right now.”

“Oh, just thinking of stresses back home.”

He splashed water at her half-heartedly. “Hey, being a workaholic who only thinks about duties is
my
job. You’re supposed to be a good contest entrant and enjoy yourself.”

“Why are you so stressed anyway?” she asked. “The hotel seems to be doing fine, but from our conversation yesterday, you’d think it’d burn down if you weren’t there for ten minutes.”

He shrugged and moved up and down with a wave. “It’s always been my focus. When we moved here, I was the only one old enough to be able to help my dad. Or at least old enough to think I could.” He gave her a pained grin. “Everything just makes sense when I’m there. Whether I’m taking care of guests or doing paperwork and checking the books, I just feel like I have purpose.”

She bit her lip, trying not to comment that was basically the definition of a workaholic. Someone who used work to survive.

She’d used to love disappearing inside her painting until that was ruined for her. Now she hadn’t had an escape in a long time.

“You’re getting that look again,” he said.

She gave him an appraising glance. His blond hair was wet and looked darker. His tanned skin glowed in the sun and his blue eyes were bright and relaxed. But by the stubborn look he gave her, she guessed he wasn’t going to give up on finding out what was bothering her.

“I’m having trouble back home. This is the first time I’ve been out on my own in a long time. You know, just out in the open.”

She could feel something change in the air between them. Tension. The wind picked up and the waves grew slightly more intense, and he reached out and took hold of her arm, pulling her toward him. He linked her elbow though his.

“So you don’t float away,” he said. “So why haven’t you been out in the open?”

Should she really tell him? If she did, it would probably guilt him into spending the rest of the two weeks with her. She wasn’t sure she wanted that. If he could be fun and charming like he was now, she wouldn’t mind, but if he acted like he did before…

“If you tell me why you’re so anxious about the hotel, I’ll tell you why I haven’t been outside.”

He nodded. “There’s a resort being built just next to us. You’ve probably seen it. It’s not as luxe, but it’s affordable, and it’s affecting our occupancy rates even though it’s not even fully built yet.”

“I see,” she said. The resort his family owned was massive. Could losing a few guests really hurt it, or was he just the type that needed something to worry about?

“Anyway,” he said. “Your turn.”

“Fine,” she said. “I acquired a stalker and it wasn’t safe to go out.”

“What?” he asked. “Go on.”

“No,” she said, yanking her arm free to swim away from him and tread water while facing him. “You gave me a short answer, so I gave you one.”

He sighed and folded his arms, watching her with that heated gaze. She shook water off her face and hair, and his stare grew more intense.

Yes, he definitely liked the way she looked. And she liked him. But it couldn’t go much beyond that.

“So is that why you accepted the trip here?” he asked, pulling her close again. “You were running away from him? It
is
a him, right?”

She nodded, trying to ignore the warmth of a blush creeping into her cheeks because of his close proximity.

His face tightened. “And what were you planning to do when the trip is over?”

“Go back to my life and find a place to hide,” she said. “It’s not that he’s been that aggressive. He’s just… gross.”

“Is he why you don’t paint?”

“I told you, my wrist—”

He growled. Actually growled. “He hurt you?”

“No!” She waved a hand. “No, not at all. I guess the wrist is my excuse. It’s what he does with the paintings. He… never mind.”

“Really?” he asked, folding his arms. “You’re going to stop there?”

She nodded.

He exhaled slowly, looking out at the water and then at her. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot. Take the swimsuit as an apology. I was being self-centered. But I promise you I’m not the type that can hear a woman is in trouble and not want to do something about it. So you’ve got me the rest of the time you’re here.”

“What about work?” she asked.

“Well, if I need to work on something, you can come with me,” he said.

She guessed that was better than nothing. “Okay,” she said. “If you’re sure.”

He cracked his knuckles. He looked intimidating when he was angry. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a man hurting a woman.” When she opened her mouth to correct him, he pinned her with a glare. “Even if he’s just scaring her.”

She nodded slowly. She’d had guy friends involved in the thing. Cousins. Family members. None had been able to get the guy off her trail, and in the end, she’d decided just staying in was the safest thing to do.

But now, for just two weeks, she’d live and be free and feel safe. She didn’t know why, but she knew when she was with Scott, nothing would happen to her. He just had a way of handling his business. Literally.

“Although,” he said, taking her elbow to pull her close again. Her body seemed to tingle whenever he was in close range. “I’m finding it’s a little dangerous to spend time with you.”

She gulped. “Why?”

He brushed wet strands of hair off her forehead as his hand found its way around her waist, pulling her against him. “It makes me want to do things like this.”

Then his mouth closed over hers.

She gasped and then melted into the kiss. She felt so completely surrounded by him, his hand wrapped around her waist and his other hand gently caressing her hair. She couldn’t believe she was kissing the man who’d made her so mad only yesterday, and kissing him in the ocean on top of that.

He was a good kisser, and he easily got her to open so he could sweep his tongue deep inside. He played and explored, and she wrapped her short legs around him to stay close. His hands moved to her hips to hold her. One moved lower to caress her ass. She didn’t care. His hands on her curves felt amazing.

After this, they might both really regret it, but she didn’t particularly care.

When he finally pulled away, she found herself gasping. Wet and tingling and ready for him to take her right there.

His eyes looked lost and confused, but she could feel the hard bulge of his erection against her beneath the water.

He wanted her. He just didn’t want to want her. And what they were doing was dangerous because his dad was hoping to hook them up and she was just here trying to stay safe. Scott had a soft spot for protecting women, but it was clear that was the only reason he’d be spending time with her.

Well, a combination of that and being attracted to her.

But when Mara found a mate, she wanted it to be more than attraction. She wanted him to love her. She wanted someone she felt safe with, who could always be there. Who would put her first.

Whoever mated Scott would probably be accepting his hotel into the relationship—a threesome.

He sighed and looked to the side. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “This is why I try not to give in to my dad’s ridiculous plans.”

“I’ve heard of worse things,” she said, shrugging. “Shifters are desperate to keep their lineage going and make sure their grandkids can shift. Bears don’t reproduce easily. In fact, I’m really shocked your dad had three of you.”

Scott shrugged. “I don’t know how either. I guess he’s virile.” He gave her a panty-melting grin. “Maybe I’m the same.”

She just wanted to sink into his charm, but she knew that wasn’t what this was about. “But you’re not interested in a mate right now,” she said.

His face fell slightly. “It’s nothing against you. I’m just not ready to give everything to a family. I mean, I have a lot of responsibilities and work, and I would probably just let someone down. So it’s not you; it’s just bad timing.”

“You’re no spring chicken,” she said with a harrumph.

He laughed. “There’s still time.”

“Sure,” she said derisively. Leave it to a man to not feel any pressure to settle down. Of course, she was also just bitter she hadn’t been able to get out and really get involved with anyone, thanks to her stalker turning her life upside down. Three years later and the urge to settle down, to have cubs, was strong. But how could she do that when she and her mate would be constantly looking over their shoulders?