Bear Space_A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance

  Bear Space

  V. Vaughn

  Sugarloaf Press

  Copyright © 2018 by V. Vaughn

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by Wilson Rowe

  Editing by Jodi Henley, Red Adept Publishing and Angie Ramey

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  Contents

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  About the Author

  About This Book

  When Bella decides it’s time to settle down and find a long-term relationship, the last thing she needs is hotter-than-hell Cade, one of her clan’s warriors, offering to help. When he suggests he be the one to teach her how to be friends with a man, she knows she should decline. But even though Bella is the clan’s witch, Cade is the one who traps her in his spell. When a life-threatening event shows Bella the truth of her destiny, she’s finally ready to believe. But her alpha isn’t, and Bella has to prove to her clan leader what her heart’s known all along.

  Chapter 1

  I watch Dan, the bartender, fill my martini glass to the brim with a chilled lemon drop. So full that if I try to pick it up, the liquid will pour over the sugared rim and make the glass sticky. I hate sticky. So I flick my finger at it to spell the contents to remain in the glass until I get it to my mouth. And while I’m at it, I add a little sparkle to my drink that makes it look like a tiny fireworks performance.

  “Impressive,” says a guy at the other end of the bar.

  I glance up to see who spoke. Cade. I let out a sigh as I gaze at his trademark Robichaux teal-blue eyes and his body, worthy of his warrior status. It makes me want to drag my tongue over every inch, and his dark-blond hair would feel good between my fingers as he returned the favor. I shake my head because I’m so done with shallow relationships based on sex.

  “Bella, right?” he says as he gets up and comes toward me.

  I roll my eyes because I’m the Robichaux clan witch, and as a werebear, he’d have to be an idiot not to know my name. Besides which, while it’s true we’ve never been properly introduced, the occasional drunken, can’t-keep-my-hands-to-myself make-out sessions we’ve had over the years mean he knows damn well who I am. I glare at him as I say, “Me glancing at you was not an invitation to come sit here.”

  Cade lowers his voice to a sexy rumble that reverberates through my whole body. “You’d prefer I wait until you’re coming out of the bathroom to slam you up against the wall and kiss you senseless?” My entire body hums with the memory, and I squirm a little on my barstool.

  It figures I’d have to be tempted by the one guy who makes my heart race and my skin tingle. But ever since I turned thirty three months ago, I can’t stop wanting what my friend Tally has; a husband who worships me, and kids. I used to be perfectly content with hollow relationships that were all about Mr. Right Now, like Cade, but that no longer makes me happy. I need to stop my destructive behavior and wait until I find a guy who has something on the inside I want too. Only that’s not going so well for me either because I’ve discovered I hate being alone. But hooking up with a werebear I can’t have is not the answer. I blink back the tears that prick my eyes. “Stop. Okay?”

  “Hey,” says Cade in what I think is his attempt at a compassionate voice. When I don’t look up, he touches my arm gently. The warmth I feel rush through me from the contact of our skin makes his next words sound sincere. “Bella, what’s wrong?”

  I gulp down the lump in my throat and dab at the corners of my eyes with my fingers to keep from smudging my mascara. I take a deep breath and say, “Nothing. I’m just feeling emotional.”

  “You can talk about it with me if you want.”

  I let out a strangled chuckle. “Cade, we don’t know how to talk.”

  “Maybe you don’t. But I have a twin sister and a very big shoulder she used often when we were growing up.”

  I tilt my head at Cade and try to see him as a brother. It’s a little hard to do since I usually imagine what he’d look like naked. I frown as I consider the fact that I’ve never actually seem him that way, and I flash back to the most recent stolen kiss we shared. It was about a year ago, and it scared the hell out of me. Actually, every time I get close to Cade, the emotions I feel terrify me. I’ve never let myself be with him because it’s as if he’s the ultimate sin and once I cross over, there will be no coming back.

  As the Robichaux clan’s witch, I’ve got a strict rule about not dating the werebear I serve. Not only can the relationship never be long term, but it’s not a good idea to get involved with another werebear’s future true mate. They take jealousy to dangerous levels, and I’d have to live with that sticky situation for the rest of my life. I hate sticky.

  So my attraction to Cade is something I struggle with every time I see him. And I don’t always win, which is why him sitting here next to me in my vulnerable moment makes me sure I need him to go. I say, “Damn it, Cade. I’m a mess, and you should probably hightail it out of here before you find out how much.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he says. “How long have you been here?”

  “Not long enough,” I mumble as I lift my drink to take a hefty swig.

  He calls out to the bartender. “Dan!” Once the older man comes to us, Cade says, “Two cheeseburgers, please, medium rare for the lady and rare for me.”

  I frown as I wonder how he knows what I usually order, or that I’m even hungry. “What are you doing? I told you to leave.”

  “You don’t really want me to go, Bella.”

  Irritation makes me tense up because it occurs to me he’s probably trying a new approach to get me in his bed. I say, “I’m not going home with you.”

  “That’s not what this is about.”

  I let out a snort. “Really. You just want to talk.”

  “I do. Why’s that so hard to believe?”

  “Look at you.” I give him the once-over with my gaze to prove my point. Guys like Cade think women are good for one thing, and it’s not conversation. And women who are like me—correction, women who are like the old me— usually don’t mind.

  “Haven’t you ever been friends with a guy?” he asks.

  “Of course I have.”

  He squints at me in disbelief. “Give me the name of one male friend.”

  “I--” I close my mouth because the only guys I can think of are ones I’ve kissed. Finally, a name comes to me. “Lucian!”

  “Lucian?”

  “Yes,” I say with false conviction. Lucian is a warlock I know, but he’s a colleague, not a friend.

  “And you’re so close you had to think to remember his name.” Cade’s lips twitch with amusement.

  I scowl at him. “Something like that. He lives in Connecticut.”

  He laughs. “Fine. But I think you need someone closer than some guy three states away.”

  “Let me guess. You came over here to become my friend.”

  “Why not?” He twirls his half-empty beer glass in his hands before he gazes intently at me. “Besides, I could use a female friend too. I don’t know if you�
��re aware of this, but most of the women I’m with are not just friends.”

  Jealousy twinges in my heart for a moment before I tamp it down, and my words drip with sarcasm. “I was not aware of that fact.”

  He ignores it. “So you’d actually be doing me a favor. You know, for when my true mate comes along. She’s not going to like me only having former girlfriends. And since a lifelong commitment has to be about more than sex, you could help me learn how to be my mate’s best friend too.”

  He does have a point that lifelong relationships have to be about more than physical attraction. That’s exactly what I need to find if I want to fall in love with someone forever too. But I don’t believe Cade is interested in just friendship. I shake my head. “I’m not buying it.” I stand up and grab onto the edge of the bar when I sway a little. I call out, “Dan!”

  Cade grabs my arm with a firm grip. “Bella. At least have dinner with me. You’re into your third drink, and I bet you haven’t eaten today. I think food is a good idea. Don’t you?”

  My stomach churns as I try to remember my last meal. I had a full day of clients and skipped lunch because of it. “For your information, I had breakfast, but that’s none of your concern. And how do you know this is my third drink?”

  “Because I already picked up your tab. Now sit,” says Cade. “Please. I promise there will be no flirting.”

  Even though the idea that Cade bought my drinks annoys me, the thought of a burger and fries has made me hungry. My stomach growls and gives me away. Cade smiles at the sound, and I let out a sigh. “Fine. I’ll eat.”

  Dan has come over to us and asks, “What can I get you?”

  “I forgot to ask for extra napkins with my meal.” I give him a big smile, and because I’m a regular, I say, “You know how I hate it when things get sticky.”

  Dan glances at Cade and then back to me and chuckles. “Is there any other way?”

  As he walks off, I steal a look at the impossibly sexy werebear next to me. The one who says he just wants to be friends even though we’ve just exchanged more words with each other than we have in the past decade. Sticky situation? Most definitely.

  Chapter 2

  While I don’t believe Cade really wants to be just friends, I decide to humor him to pass the time while we wait for our food. I say, “If we do this, there’s no physical stuff at all.”

  “Right. Except if you need a hug.” He grins. “I give really good hugs.”

  I chuckle and lift my drink to let the mixture of sweet and sour flavor fill my mouth as it disguises the taste of alcohol. “Okay,” I say. “I’m willing to try to be your friend.”

  “Great.” His brow knits. “We’re going to need to spend time together to make this work.” He quickly adds, “Doing friend things.”

  “Of course,” I say as I continue to play along. “What sorts of things are you thinking?”

  He shrugs. “How about what you’d do with girlfriends?”

  I picture him in a charcoal facemask and fuzzy slippers. “I’m afraid there’s a reason I’m only friends with girls, unless a manicure sounds appealing to you.”

  He nods as he lowers his eyebrows in thought. “And I bet watching a football game and screaming at the TV might not be appealing to you.”

  I let out a sigh even though I’m amused. “Perhaps you need to broaden your horizons.”

  He chuckles. “We need to broaden our horizons.”

  I laugh too. “Fair enough.” I realize I’m having fun with Cade, and suddenly, the thought of spending time with him as friends doesn’t seem so far-fetched. “What about something you might do with your sister?”

  He takes a moment to think and then says, “I know. Paint night.” I raise my eyebrows in question, and he adds, “Wine, a blank canvas, and acrylic paint.”

  Dan approaches us with two plates of food and thumps them down before us, and I recall seeing a local art center that offers paint night. I reach for a fry and say, “Paint night, it is. You drink wine?”

  “Don’t sound so shocked,” Cade says as he hands me the ketchup. “I love a good Zinfandel with steak. Merlot’s pretty good on a rainy day, and I even enjoy champagne.”

  My knife taps on the plate as I cut my burger in half. “Paint night and wine. I feel like I’m learning so much about you.”

  “Tell me something about you I don’t know.”

  “Hmm,” I say as I finish chewing a mouthful of food. “I like hockey. It’s been a while, but I enjoy going to the games. And--” I glance around as if I’m about to reveal a big secret before I whisper, “My favorite part is the fights.” Cade breaks out into laughter, and I add, “I might even get up and yell too.”

  My admission makes Cade snort, and the sound of his continued laughter is so contagious I find myself joining him. When he recovers, he says, “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “Why’s that?”

  He shrugs. “Being attracted to me means you must like things a little on the rough side.”

  I do like Cade’s kind of rough, and I flash to the fantasy of his earlier suggestion about pressing me up against a wall for hungry kisses. We’re not going there, Bella. “Uh-uh. Now we’re approaching non-friend territory.”

  Cade holds up his hand. “I’m sorry. Let’s go back to the part where a girl who can’t stand her hands to be dirty and makes her drinks sparkle likes hockey fights.”

  “I’m a complex person. Besides, you’re a warrior who understands how wine pairs with food. Do your buddies know about that?”

  “Sure. We go to tastings and everything.”

  I shake my head as I picture the clan’s biggest and fiercest werebears swirling wine and discussing its bouquet. “I’ll bet.”

  Cade chuckles. “Okay, so maybe not. But I’m more than I appear to be.”

  I gaze at him for a moment and see more than the hot guy. I think about how he seemed sincere when he asked me if I was okay earlier. When he saw tears, he didn’t run. Instead, he offered to listen. “I believe you are,” I say.

  “And so are you, Bella.”

  His reply makes me consider the way I present myself to men. A long time ago, I discovered if I’m cool and distant, I’m seen as a challenge many guys can’t resist. They love the hard-to-get game. And I loved the game of infatuation. I let past boyfriends believe I was whatever they wanted me to be, and most were only interested in the pretty witch who wanted something physical. But as soon as they started to get serious, I found reasons to become their nightmare. It made moving on easy because I never cared too much. But now that I want more, I need to learn a new game.

  I let out a sigh of contentment as I push my plate away. Half of my burger is still on it, and Cade asks, “Aren’t you going to eat that?”

  I shake my head. “I’m full,” I notice his plate is empty. “Do you want it?”

  He grabs the burger and tilts his head at me in question. “How full? Because something else you might not expect from me is that I’m a dessert guy.”

  I smile. “Not too full for dessert.”

  “How about chocolate cake?”

  I chuckle. “Careful. Now I’m beginning to think you’re either a girl in disguise or playing me.”

  “Neither. I’m just letting you see who I really am.”

  I smile because I’m pleasantly surprised by who Cade is. “I think this friendship thing might actually work.”

  “Good,” says Cade as Dan walks over to us. We order a chocolate cake to share, and I get coffee too.

  “So,” says Cade once the dessert arrives, “what made you want to become the clan’s medicine woman?”

  I laugh because it’s not much of a choice. Just like most werebear tend to follow in the footsteps of their parents due to their genetics, my job is passed down through generations, and I should have been working alongside my mother until she was ready to retire, but fate stepped in and changed my course. My mother fell in love with a warlock who lived in Canada, and she left our clan to be
with him once I assured her I’d take over. I don’t have any regrets, but in the early days, it was tough to command respect due to my age. My mother warned me that I needed to keep a cool public persona. But my revolving-door love life and occasional temper tantrums haven’t helped my reputation.

  I say, “Probably the same thing that made you become a warrior.”

  Cade nods. “Yeah, it’s hard to fight what’s in our blood.”

  I frown, considering how rough his job can be. Although over the years, I’ve had to help heal a lot of warriors, and yet Cade has never graced my doorstep. I say, “You must be good. I just realized you’ve never come to me for help with healing.”

  He shrugs. “I’m lucky.” Then he waggles his eyebrows at me. “And I’m good. Very good.”

  “Humble too, I see.” I consider for a moment that Cade is probably in his thirties like me, and I imagine it must be hard for him to not have found a true mate yet. Unlike witches, who can fall in love with any human they choose and end up happy, a werebear can’t make the same choice. If one choses to marry for love but not true-mate love, they live with the threat that a true mate could come along and ruin everything.

  I lift my fork to take a bite as I ask, “Have you ever considered looking for your true mate in another clan?”

  “The thought has crossed my mind,” says Cade. “But I’m not ready to do that yet. I like living here, and I’m afraid if I found a mate in another clan, she’d insist on us staying there so she could be close to family when our children were born.”

  I nod as I savor sweet chocolate flavor. “It would be hard for you to leave your friends and family, but isn’t true-mate love strong enough you wouldn’t care? I mean, don’t you get so obsessed with your mate that nothing else seems to matter?”