Undercover Bear: Gavin (BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance) Page 3

  “You’re not giving me the back story on that?” I chased after her.

  “I think I get five more questions before you get to ask another.” She stopped to look over her shoulder at me.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to fall for her. I wasn’t supposed to care about her personal life or whether she had a mate. None of that mattered. My job was to get her to the grand jury in one piece. But I wanted to pick her up and push her against the closest tree, wrap her legs around my waist, and kiss her so hard she never thought of another shifter.

  “Gavin?”

  “Yeah, right. That was the deal. Five for one.” I grinned. “It’s getting dark, and I’m getting hungry. Ask away. I’ll show you the way back to the house.”

  “I’m a tiger. I think I can follow our trail back. Natural predator over here, remember?”

  I shook my head. She wasn’t going to give on anything. “Makes sense.”

  “Okay, questions for round two. My first one.” She paused. “Since you asked. What about you? Seeing anyone?”

  “No. Single and unattached.” It may have been the first time I was happy to confess I was completely available. Bachelor status was convenient as a cop. It kept my head clear. I wasn’t looking for a mate. I always thought that would happen later. Only, I didn’t have a definition for “later.”

  I thought I saw her full lips twitch into a smile.

  “Do you usually bring girls to the cabin?”

  I chuckled. “No. You’re the first. It’s sort of a guy retreat.”

  “Yeah, you’re not kidding. It’s the poster child for man cave.”

  “That’s what it’s for.” I defended my vacation spot.

  “Why did you want to become a detective?” She slowed our pace on the trail. I walked in step next to her, finding a rhythm with her stride.

  “It’s going to sound like a line, but I swear it’s the truth. I always knew it was what I wanted to do since I was a kid. I think my mom wanted me to do something a little less dangerous, but we all knew nothing was going to stop me. It was my dream.”

  “You like getting the bad guy?”

  I stopped her on the path. The house was almost in sight. My hands squeezed her shoulders. “I like protecting people. And yeah, that usually means taking down the bad guy.” My voice grew quiet.

  Tasha looked up. “I have one question left in this round.”

  I nodded. “You do. I hope it’s a good one.”

  I wasn’t expecting it. So far she hadn’t thrown me. It was as if she was zig-zagging through a usual list of questions. They were standard. They were normal. Until this one.

  Her eyes flickered like a purple sunset.

  “Do you want to kiss me?” she purred.

  10

  Tasha

  I didn’t know what I was thinking. Was I taunting him? Teasing him? Drawing him to me so I could get out of here? Or was this something I really wanted? His lips on mine, devouring me until I forgot everything in my life.

  His chest widened and I saw the way his jaw clenched, as if I had somehow hurt him.

  “I was kidding.” I tried to laugh it off. “Clearly I wouldn’t ask that question.”

  “No, stop.” He grabbed my upper arm, and I felt the strength running through his bicep.

  “Forget it. It was a joke, Gavin.”

  His eyes clouded, and I could see the turmoil as if there were storm clouds behind them.

  “God, just listen to me.” His other hand pressed against my shoulder, sliding against my neck. I swallowed hard. “I do want to kiss you.”

  “You do?” Damn, I sounded like a girl in a romantic comedy.

  “But I’m afraid.”

  I grinned. “I thought you were the big bad bear. The strong cop. What’s there to be afraid of a little tiger?” I puffed my breasts forward, so I was touching his chest. He looked down, eyeing my cleavage, and I wanted him to touch me more than I ever had.

  “I’m afraid if I start kissing those lips of yours I won’t be able to stop. I’ll kiss you until you can’t remember your name and I won’t remember mine. I’ll kiss you until you’re stripped to your bare skin.” I held my breath, feeling the way my heart was fluttering out of control while he growled the words against my ear. “And then I’ll kiss every inch of your body. Every curve. Every soft spot. Every place that makes you purr.” His eyes pierced mine. “And if I do that, then I can’t protect you anymore. I’m not taking that chance.”

  He stepped away, creating more space between us than I wanted. I wanted to pull him back to me. I wanted him to do all those things he just talked about with his lips. God, I wanted to stand here while he stripped the clothes from my body and made me his.

  “Wh-what do you mean you can’t protect me?” I stammered.

  “I can’t cross that line with you, Tasha, and we both know it.” He turned away. I could tell he was forcing himself away from me. His hands clenched into fists. “I can’t fall for you and protect you at the same time. It complicates everything.”

  Fall for me? Did he just say that?

  “I don’t know why I even asked the question. I shouldn’t have. It was a bad joke.” I backpedaled.

  He whipped around. “Kissing you would never be a joke to me.”

  My heart jumped. I’d heard a lot of lines before. Guys always tried to pick me up in bars or clubs. The one who threw me back in the Purest van did the same thing. But hearing it from Gavin, it didn’t sound like a line. It sounded real. It sounded like a man who meant every word of what he said.

  “Come on, I want to get back inside before the sun sets.” He marched forward.

  “Gavin?”

  He paused on the trail, slowly turning toward me. “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.”

  “For what?” He looked puzzled.

  “For caring more about my life than sex.”

  He chuckled. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that, but you’re welcome.” His shoulders finally relaxed. “Now, come on. Let’s get inside.”

  11

  Gavin

  It had been a week since Tasha and I had been in the cabin. Her nightmares hadn’t stopped. I could almost set my clock to when she would start screaming in the middle of the night. Each time I would run to her side, but she would push me away. I had stuck to my word. I hadn’t kissed her. I hadn’t touched her. But my bear was tormented.

  The pain shot through me every time I heard her yell in her sleep. I wanted to fold her in my arms and block out the memories of what had happened to her. She still hadn’t opened up about it. I could only guess it was something that would haunt her until she was ready to fight the demons. She didn’t seem like the kind of woman who wanted help fighting them.

  I walked onto the porch. Tasha was reading on the swing. She looked up from her book. “Hey.”

  “Hey. I was thinking about going into town to get some groceries. We’re running low on a few things. Think you’ll be okay here for an hour?”

  She closed the book and pushed her hair off her shoulder. “I don’t need a twenty-four-seven babysitter.”

  “First of all, I’m not a babysitter.” I glared at her. “Second, do you think you’ll be okay?”

  She nodded. “I just wish I could go with you. I’m tired of being cooped up in here.”

  “It’s too dangerous. I know we’re far from Seattle, but I don’t want to take a chance someone could spot you in town. You need to lie low.”

  She huffed. “I know.”

  “And you won’t run? You promise?”

  “Promise.”

  Since our walk in the woods, things had been different. Since I had admitted that I wanted her in every way a man could possibly want a woman, she had seemed to settle into the cabin. I don’t know what made her change, but it was noticeable. She made coffee for me in the morning. She helped with dinner. She even went fishing with me.

  I’d be a fucking liar if I didn’t admit that every day I spent wi
th her, I was falling more and more in love with her. But I wasn’t going to touch her. I wasn’t giving in to my bear. That would change everything. Once he took over, I’d be lost to her. I couldn’t protect her that way, and I knew it.

  “All right. Be back in an hour or less.” I hopped down the steps. “Need anything?” I called over my shoulder.

  “Extra bottle of wine.” She held the book back to her face.

  “Sure thing.”

  I sat behind the wheel of my Jeep. I looked at her sitting on the porch. Her feet were propped on the end of the swing while she read. Her hair blew lightly in the breeze as she coasted back and forth over the floorboards. Part of me told me to stay. I shouldn’t let her out of my sight. But Harrison said Purest was almost completely off the radar. They had no idea Tasha was even with me, let alone this far outside the city.

  I put the Jeep in reverse and peeled out of the driveway. I’d be back in an hour. No, screw that. I’d be back in thirty minutes.

  12

  Tasha

  The swing glided across the porch and I stretched my arms overhead, feeling graceful length slide along my arms all the way to my fingertips. I could see Gavin’s taillights as he turned onto the main road. I didn’t know how in a week’s time I had gone from trying to escape each time he turned his back to sitting in this swing like one content little kitty.

  I knew what was happening. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was afraid to leave. I was afraid the nightmares would grow without Gavin around to calm me. Every night, he was there, stroking my arm. I could feel the warmth from his body. See the heat in his eyes while he whispered that I’d be okay. Promised I was safe.

  I wanted to run. I did. But knowing Gavin would show up in my bed in the middle of the night almost made the nightmares worth it. Almost.

  I tossed the blanket off my legs and dropped the book on the swing. I needed to walk. I headed to my room and laced up my running shoes. A good jog through the trails would help shake the caged feeling creeping up. It seemed that without him here, I lost something holding me steady.

  I chose the trail that led to the fishing pond. I could make a lap around the small lake and head back to the house before he unloaded the first bag of groceries. I felt the ground under my feet as I rushed forward.

  I hadn’t forgotten the words he had said when we went on our first hike. They had gotten under my skin in a way that made things burn. It was as if all I could think about was his lips. I studied his hands and wondered how they would feel exploring my body. I watched his eyes and imagined seeing them hover over me as he made me his. I shook the fog from my head before I almost stumbled over an exposed tree root.

  Being in the cabin with him was getting harder. I wanted something I couldn’t have. And according to him, it was something he was never going to give me.

  I huffed as I made my first lap around the pond, my ponytail swaying as I picked up the pace.

  Sure, it was chivalrous and gentlemanly and honorable—all of that stuff. My safety was his top priority, but somehow that made it harder to stop the feelings. It made me want him more.

  Damn it. I forgot to look down and tripped over a rock. I felt the skin scrape across my shin.

  “Shit,” I muttered, wiping the blood from my leg. So much for a second lap. I hobbled up from the ground, wincing as I straightened my knee.

  I limped my way back to the cabin, blaming myself for my head being in the clouds, instead of paying attention to what I was doing. All I could think about was Gavin. Maybe I did need to get some more space. This time, it was only a scrape, but what would happen the next time I was so lost in him I forgot to pay attention? My attraction to him was putting my safety in jeopardy—the exact opposite of what was supposed to happen. Maybe the bear knew what he was talking about. We were only going to get hurt it we gave in to this attraction.

  I rested against a tree as the blood trickled down my leg. I’d just have to tell him when he got back from the store. I needed another agent. I needed to be reassigned to someone who wouldn’t make me forget who I was. Someone who didn’t make me melt into a puddle when I looked in his eyes. Someone who didn’t make me want to do naughty and dirty things in his cabin bedroom. Yeah, I definitely needed to be reassigned.

  13

  Gavin

  I scooped up two bottles of red wine and laid them in the grocery cart. I checked over my shoulder, feeling eyes boring into the back of my head. It was only the white-haired lady at the register. I smiled.

  I had enough food to get us through another week if we needed. We were still on standby for the hearing. And with the head of Purest unaccounted for, as well as his number two, Calvin Sable, I wasn’t going to let my guard down. They would want to find Tasha at all costs.

  I paid for the groceries and loaded them into the back of the Jeep. I imagined Tasha sitting on the porch with her book when I pulled into the driveway, but when I parked, I looked up and she wasn’t there.

  I stepped away from the Jeep, surveying the corners of the house. It was quiet. I left the paper bags in the back and climbed the steps, tipping the front door open.

  “Tash?” The kitchen and living room were empty. I moved down the hall, pushing on her bedroom door. “Tash?”

  I turned toward the bathroom, but the light was off. She wasn’t in my room. One hand reached for the clip on my holster as I crept back down the hall. Where in the hell was she? My eyes narrowed as I made my way back to the front porch. Her book and blanket were lying on the swing.

  I pivoted, drawing my weapon as I heard a loud snap coming from the forest. “Don’t move,” I warned.

  “Umm, okay, but I really need to get in the cabin.” Tasha’s voice carried over the heavy foliage.

  I jumped over the steps, searching for her. She was leaning against a tree, her knee and shin bleeding.

  “What happened? Did someone break in?” My eyes darted back and forth.

  “Could you put the gun away?” She looked at the weapon still drawn in my hands.

  I holstered it. “Sorry. I thought something…”

  “What?”

  “I thought someone took you.” My heart pounded under my ribs. It had only been moments. Minutes. But in that short amount of time, I thought of every possible scenario that could have happened to her. I hadn’t taken a breath since I thought she was gone.

  I bent over, pressing my palms against my thighs, inhaling deeply. “Shit.”

  “I just went for a run, Gavin. And I tripped and cut my leg. Seriously, I’m fine.” Her palm rested against my shoulder. “But I do want to clean it up.”

  I straightened my back, realizing what I had been fighting all along. As much as I had fought to not fall for her, I had. I thought my bear couldn’t protect her if my heart was involved, but I was wrong. I was a fucking idiot. I wasn’t going to waste another minute arguing with my instincts. I was a cop and a bear, and Tasha was getting ready to know both sides of me.

  14

  Tasha

  “What are you doing?” But Gavin didn’t answer as he scooped me up and carried me into the cabin. My legs dangled over his arm.

  His eyes had never blazed like this. He carried me straight to his room, kicking doors as he barged through the house. He placed me on his bed, bouncing the mattress with the weight of my body.

  “Don’t move. I’m going to get a bandage for that.”

  I stared at him, afraid to flinch a single muscle. Something was different.

  He returned holding a first aid kit. He didn’t make a sound as he cleaned the cut and adhered a bandage over my shin. The cut wasn’t as big as I thought; it was just a place that tended to bleed profusely. He closed the first aid kit and looked at me, satisfied I wasn’t going to bleed to death on his quilt.

  “What’s going on? Why are you looking at me like that?” I stared at him, but he crawled on the bed, sliding me under him.

  “Because I thought you were gone,” he whispered.

  “I told you I
went for a run.” My heart was beating faster.

  “But I didn’t know that.” His hand caressed the side of my cheek and I rocked my head into his hand. The warmth of his palm felt so good against my face. “I lost my fucking mind, Tasha. I lost it when I thought you were gone.”

  He pressed his forehead to mine. I could feel the heat of his breath. I could smell the juniper on his skin. “And I’m not taking that chance again. Ever.”

  I wanted to ask what his confession meant, but before I could utter a sound, his mouth crushed over my lips as he kissed me. His tongue twisted against mine as he sucked and breathed in my lips.

  I wrapped my hands around his neck, running them through his hair, pulling him closer. My purr matched his growl as the kiss turned to something primal. He nipped at my bottom lip before moving down my neck and to my shoulder.

  “I thought you were gone,” he whispered.

  “I’m here.” I pulled his gaze to meet mine. His kissed me again, our tongues finding each other with urgent lashes. “I’m here.”

  I didn’t know where I began and he ended as we kissed each other, our ragged breathing the only sound in the room. My hips rocked toward him, pressing between his legs, eager to feel what he had to offer.

  His fingers clasped the bottom of my tank top, snaking it over my head. My exposed breasts immediately perked under his stare.

  “My God, you’re gorgeous.” His head dipped to my breast, sucking hard, twirling his tongue around my nipple. It hardened under his attention. His fingers squeezed and plucked at the other breast while I writhed under his delicious torture.

  My hips bucked, but he didn’t let up. His teeth nipped at the bud until I groaned his name.

  We had been pent up together for a week in this cabin, circling each other, avoiding each other, studying each other. All the while falling harder than there were words for. And now there was nothing holding us back. Gavin had taken down the walls. He had thrown out the rules. And it felt right. It felt hot and electric as my body pulsed under his.