Wedding Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Enforcer Bears Book 3) (6 page)

Money was fortunately not much of a problem. Iron Fang had been a despot and a cruel leader involved in a hundred criminal activities, but he’d paid well. As much as clan life had been tightly regulated, as soon as someone made it up the ranks of Iron Fang’s soldiers, he was very well rewarded for his service.

It was one of the reason why not many had ever tried to run. Of course, the other reason was that so far, everyone who had tried had been hunted down and killed.

But this time, it was different. Kayden hadn’t run on his own. There were twenty of them. There were families, women, children. And they’d claim a human town as their territory.

Iron Fang couldn’t come after them here. He wouldn’t risk that sort of war with the entire shifter community.

He wouldn’t,
Kayden told himself again.

And if he does, we’ll kill him,
the feral bear inside him growled.

***

C
ontemplatively, Kayden ran the pad of his thumb over the smooth silk of the tie he held in his hand.

“So when you said you had plans for me, you didn't mean—”

“Shh,” Sidney hushed him quickly, pressing a finger to his lips. A giggle escaped her before the shop assistant returned with yet another suit.

“Later,” she murmured, her eyes gleaming playfully. “For now, I need to make sure that you're appropriately dressed for the wedding. Remember, I need you to—”

“Impress your Mom and your sister Karen and probably half a dozen cousins and aunts I haven't yet met, I know.” Kayden groaned.

The shop assistant gave him a pitying look, then hastened away once more when Sidney returned the collection of ties he'd presented them with before.

“Sorry!” There was laughter in Sidney’s voice. Somehow she didn't sound apologetic at all. “I just wasn't sure whether you'd have anything appropriate...”

“That's what happens when you commandeer a random hiker who stumbles naked into your garden,” Kayden murmured.

“So far I haven't had a reason to regret my choice.” Boldly, Sidney reached out to run her hand down his chest. “Mm, I like that shirt on you.”

“Yes, so much better than a sheet,” he teased. “Let's hope your Mom agrees.”

“Oh God, don't remind me.” With a wince, Sidney chose one of the suits.

Kayden eyed it in approval. It was a classic cut in a simple, elegant charcoal black, but with enough space for his shoulders and arms. The first few suits he'd tried on had been rather lacking in that department. Finally the shop assistant had begun to bring out what he called the modern, athletic fit.

“So what I take from the fact that you've arranged all this is that you thought I was some penniless hiker?” Kayden said as he slipped into the suit. “A hiker camping out in the forest, who stumbled into your backyard by accident and who'd agree to whatever you asked because he was afraid of the police.”

Yes, this suit fit perfectly. Experimentally, Kayden moved his arms, twisting and turning a little. By now it was instinct—a life as one of the clan's enforcers had made him immediately check a suit for how it would restrict his movements in combat. And this one would do.

“Mm,” Sidney said as she watched him show off. “Please tell me you'll do that at the wedding... Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

She flushed again, and Kayden laughed softly and leaned forward to kiss her.

“Anything you want,” he promised. “But what I was trying to say is: You didn't pick up a random naked, homeless guy in your garden. You don't have to rent me a suit, Sidney, although that's really sweet of you to offer. Money's really not the problem here. But when I came to check out the town, I thought it would be best not to attract too much attention. And no one cares much about backpackers wandering around.”

“At least not around here,” Sidney agreed. “We're really popular in summer with the tourists. If you haven't looked at the lakes yet, you should do that. My cousin Cleo inherited several cabins there. If your clients like privacy, one of the lakes might suit them. It's a bit of a drive into town, but on the other hand, it's very quiet, and the forest and the lakes are beautiful.”

“I've seen one of the lakes,” Kayden said, then broke off when the shop assistant returned. “Now choose a tie. It has to go with your dress, after all!”

She grinned at him. “No red!”

After a few minutes of deliberation, he was all set with a tie made of a light, blue-gray silk.

He gave his mirror image another critical look, then nodded. “I think this will do. What do you think?”

Sidney swallowed. “I have to admit,” she murmured, sounding a little dazed, “when you walked into my living room like that, I made the decision based on—well, on how you looked without a suit on. But I think I have just proved that I have excellent taste.”

“Truly excellent.” Kayden leaned down to kiss her again, curving his hand around her waist in appreciation. “So. Now that I'm all dressed up, is there anything else you had planned?”

Sidney bit her lip. “Well, there's... How are your dancing skills? Sorry, I know most men hate dancing, and dance lessons even more. But if you wouldn't mind, we could...”

Kayden allowed himself a wicked grin. “Oh, so you think I need dancing lessons? Afraid I'll embarrass you on the dance floor in front of your sister and your cousins and your aunts and probably two dozen other judgmental relatives I haven't yet met?”

“My dad is very nice,” Sidney said apologetically. “I'm sure he'll like you.”

Kayden took a quick look around. When he saw that the shop assistant was busy in another part of the store, he slowly drew his hand upwards from Sidney’s waist, his fingers trailing across her skin beneath her shirt.

“How about,” he murmured, leaning forward so that his breath ghosted across her throat, “we return to your place and we practice, and you can judge my skills yourself? And if I am lacking in any way, I promise I will be open to any suggestions...”

“Oh,” Sidney breathed, her eyes wide and dark, her cheeks flushing with heat. “Oh good. That sounds... that sounds good. Let's do that.”

She bit her lip, her face still red and her hair a little tousled when the salesperson suddenly returned. Kayden grinned at Sidney, then quickly went to change while she fled from the changing rooms to hide behind another rack of shirts.

“D
uck!” Sidney hissed and grabbed Kayden’s arm. She pulled him against her—and just in time.

A moment later, her sister Karen exited the hairdresser on the other side of the road. Sidney and Kayden were half-crouching behind a car now. Even so, Sidney felt her heart drop to her stomach when Karen’s eyes came to rest on the shop they had just left. For a moment, Karen lingered, looking up and down the street as if she were searching for them.

Had Karen spotted them earlier? Had she trailed them all the way? Sidney wouldn’t put it past her sister. Not for any malicious reason, but Karen had always been too curious for her own good. And too used to being the successful sister, the one in the spotlight. The fact that half the town was talking about Sidney’s mystery date had to be really galling for her.

“Hush,” Sidney whispered, grinning at Kayden.

He rolled his eyes when he spotted Karen.

“How did she find us?” he whispered.

“Instinct?” Sidney shrugged. “Some weird sort of sixth sense for always find the juiciest gossip? She hates secrets—at least when she’s not in on them.”

“You know,” Kayden murmured against her hair, “I’m sure your sister is a nice person when you get to know her, but there’s that dancing exam I have to pass, and I’d rather not embarrass myself in front of her...”

“Oh?” Sidney teased back, keeping a watchful eye on her sister. “And here I thought you were ready to blow me away with your skills.”

Kayden chuckled. “What if I tell you that I’m skilled in a
lot
of ways?”

His voice was deliciously throaty, and Sidney felt her heart speed up again at the way his stubble scratched against her cheek.

“I’d ask you for a demonstration,” she replied, her cheeks heating. “After that dancing demonstration.”

“Mm,” Kayden purred in agreement. “We can arrange that. As long as your sister stops trailing us...”

“This is definitely a demonstration that should happen without an audience.”

A soft gasp escaped Sidney when Kayden pressed a kiss to the soft skin behind her ear.

Wow!
She hadn’t known that her skin could be so sensitive. Her knees were already wobbly. If he kept this up, there was no way she’d be able to escape her sister.

“Careful now,” she whispered as she watched Karen crossed the street

There was a small flower shop at the corner. She could see Karen stop and critically eye an arrangement of roses.

“Oh no!” Sidney sighed with despair. “How will we get out of here? She’s between us and the car!”

“She’ll have to leave eventually,” Kayden murmured. “Unless she really spotted us earlier. Do you think she’s just hanging around in the hope that she’ll catch another glimpse of you and your mystery date?”

Despite herself, Sidney suddenly had to giggle. “You really like that title, don’t you?”

Kayden grinned. “It’s the most fun I’ve had in ages. And it’s flattering, too. And in the end they’re all so curious because they love you. No, don’t protest,” he said and held up a hand. “It’s true. Really. They’ve all seen you grow up. They’ve known you all your life. In a way, everyone here is family. They’re your clan. And they care about you.”

Sidney tilted her head curiously at him. “And you like that? It’s not too much? Small town life can be overwhelming...”

“I love it,” Kayden said simply. “You can’t known how much. This is like everything that was good about my past—without everything that was bad about it. There was a lot that was bad; I’ll tell you one day, if you want to know. So one day I decided I had to leave that life behind. It was a painful decision. I never told anyone, but I was so afraid.”

“Afraid? You?” Sidney asked quietly, disbelief in her voice.

Kayden nodded and swallowed. “Afraid I’d never find that feeling again. Of belonging. Of having my clan—my family. Of having a home.”

At the pain in his voice, Sidney threw caution to the wind and reached out for him.

“That’s the good thing about places like this,” she said fiercely. “People care. They might sometimes care too much—but they care. No one has to be alone here. If you want a home, this is the right place to make one.”

A moment later, she let go of him again, embarrassment creeping up on her. Had she said too much? Would he think her clingy, just like her ex Timothy? She hadn’t meant it to sound like she wanted him to make a home with
her
—not that she
didn’t
want that.

Warmth filled her at the thought, and she blushed again, embarrassed by how quickly those dreams seemed to have taken over. Not that they were bad dreams—but wasn’t it way too early to talk about such things out loud?

After Timothy’s cruel remarks, she’d sworn to herself to be more cautious in the future. To not let it show how badly she wanted that, too: a home of her own, with a man who cherished and respected her. Not to make the town’s gossips shut up, but simply to come home to someone who’d smile when he saw her. Someone who wanted the same things she did, instead of just using her until something better came along.

“Hey,” Kayden said softly and raised a hand to her cheek. “This probably sounds weird—but this already feels like home to me. With your crazy relatives and snoopy neighbors and everything.”

Sidney felt her heart beating faster at his touch. She couldn’t find words for it, but whenever their eyes met, a shiver ran through her. Where did this strange connection come from?

So he was hot—but she’d seen hot men before. And this was more than mere lust. She wanted him to touch her, but more than that, she wanted him to hold her and never let go of her. She wanted him to look at her with his strange, bewitching eyes. It was like some sort of wild animal was staring at her, something powerful and frightening—but something that she could tame with one touch of her hand.

It was intoxicating. And it was far too distracting.

“Damn!” she exclaimed softly when she saw her sister come out of the flower shop with a potted rosebush. “We missed our chance to escape!”

“Hurry!” This time it was Kayden who grabbed hold of her hand.

Sidney found herself pulled towards the next car, where they managed to duck just in time. She bit back a giggle again. It felt rather silly—but on the other hand, the one thing she really didn’t need right now was a two hour chat with her sister. And a bit of harmless fun felt like the perfect revenge for Karen’s stinging remarks at the bakery.

“Where does that alley lead?” Kayden asked softly, gesturing at the small opening between two houses.

The path between the buildings was narrow and dark, too small for any cars, but even so Sidney’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Perfect!” she exclaimed. “You’re a hero! We can leave that way and then double back and get to the car from the other direction. Karen won’t notice a thing!”

The next time Karen turned her head, they sprinted towards the beckoning alley. Once they’d made it safely into the shadowy opening, they leaned against the wall for a moment, giddy with triumph.

“We’ll have to cut through a garden, but it’s fine,” Sidney said breathlessly. “It belongs to my old high school teacher. She’s retired now, but Mom and I help pick her apples in the summer. She won’t mind! She bakes a rather fine apple pie actually—we always have a charity drive in the library in autumn, and—anyway,” she cut herself off, blushing. “We should go before Karen comes looking.”

T
he garden was beautiful. It was almost a small orchard, hidden away at the center of this little town. The surrounding buildings blocked the noise from the streets. There were three apple trees with large, gnarled branches, one cherry tree and an old, majestic walnut tree heavy with unripe, green nuts the size of golf balls.

Sidney paused for a moment in the shade of the tree, taking a deep breath.