Bared for Her Bear

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2013 Jenika Snow

ISBN: 978-1-77130-592-1

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: Karyn White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part

of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in

the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual

events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

For my mom who left this world far too soon. Thank you for never judging and always encouraging

me to follow my dreams. I love you.

BARED FOR HER BEAR

Wylde Bears, 1

Jenika Snow

Copyright © 2013

“I think you should do it, Ary.” She looked over at Melissa and rolled her eyes.

“Of course you do. It isn’t like it’ll be you that’s putting yourself out there for rejection.”

February Felina took a long swallow of her Sex on the Beach and glared at Melissa and Candace.

“Why do you think you’ll get rejected?” Candace said right before she sucked her piña colada

through the bright pink straw.

“Because that asshole Frank told her she wasn’t any good, which I’ll add I would have been

happy to kick him in the balls for that one.” February had to love the way Melissa didn’t mince her

words. “Besides, what do you expect from a jackal shifter? Jackals are always assholes if you ask me.

You remember Chuck the big old fuck?”

How could any of them forget? Usually Melissa only dated wolf shifters, but she had given the

douche-bag a chance, which only ended up in him sleeping with her cousin behind her back at her

sister’s wedding.

It was true, though. February had stayed in the verbally abusive relationship with Frank, the

jackass jackal according to Melissa, for a year too long. Everything had started out great, but of course

nothing in her life could go the way she wanted it. First there had been the subtle hints that she should

watch her portions at dinner, and then it escalated to Frank calling her a fat-ass in front of his friends.

So what if she was pushing a size twenty? It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried dieting and exercising, but

this was how she had been her whole life and had grown to accept that. Maybe she should have just

stayed with her own kind, as wrong and closed-minded as that sounded. But to be honest everyone

knew male ocelot shifters were too clingy and submissive. February had always wanted a guy who

could take control, but apparently she had looked in the wrong place where jackals were concerned.

This was her thirtieth birthday after all, and Ary had grown comfortable with her big breasts, wide

hips, and rounded tummy. So, she had the last straw with Frank, especially when he continued to make

comments about her weight in front of his buddies, who’d laughed like they were high on nitrous

oxide. She had broken up with him a week ago, and now she was ready to put his sorry ass behind her

and move on. She was big and beautiful, not really the norm for her species, and there would be no

man that told her differently. She might have the self-confidence now, but that didn’t mean she still

wasn’t a woman worried about rejection from a guy for putting herself out there.

“It isn’t even about Frank, guys.” And it wasn’t, really, but the looks her two wolf shifter best

friends gave her told February they didn’t fully believe her. “It’s true. Anyway, you can’t tell me you

don’t have a moment of hesitation when confronting a man. In fact, I know you two like to be sniffed

at and approached like you’re some kind of prize.” Both looked at each other, and Ary had her answer

without them having to say a word. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” They both shrugged, and Melissa

leaned forward.

“Okay, then, what are you going to do to celebrate the big three-oh, Ary?”

Oh Lord.

“Can’t we just sit here and enjoy our tropical drinks without you going all sex-crazed?”

Melissa grinned in a purely wolfish way and shook her head. Ary loved these girls like they

were her sisters, but sometimes she wanted to wring their necks, especially Melissa. Ary had known

them since high school, and when the three of them had stood in the cafeteria that first day of

freshman year, each of them looking scared shitless, they had found a friendship like no other that

very moment. It was hard enough living in a world where some humans could shift into animals, but

tack on the fact she couldn’t find a decent man, and well, that just made it even more frustrating. She

was getting older, too, and February would be lying if she said she didn’t look into the future and see

herself with a wonderful husband and a handful of children.

“Hell no, we can’t just sit here and drink these frilly-ass drinks. You’re thirty years old now,

and let’s all be honest and admit you’re not getting any younger.” Ary glared at Melissa and noticed

Candace sitting smartly quieter to her right.

“I’d like to remind
you
that you’re the same age, bitch.”

Melissa grinned and leaned back in her chair. She gestured for the waiter to bring them another

round, which February objected to.

“Melissa, I do have to drive home tonight.”

“Not if I can help it. My goal is to get you in the car with a hot, and safe, male.” She looked

around the bar and tapped her perfectly red painted nail on her chin. “Although we are in Sweet Water,

so that might be harder than it sounds.”

“If you actually think we will find someone here you’re insane,” Candace said right as their

waiter brought them another round of drinks. Ary didn’t miss how the coyote shifter winked at

Candace, or the blush that spread across her much quieter friend’s face.

“Why don’t you harass Candace? It looks like she’s more likely to get laid by that coyote

shifter than I am of even finding a guy tonight.”

“February, why don’t you just hook up with a human?” Candace said. Melissa made an

exaggerated noise, and they both looked at her.

Melissa looked between the two of them with feigned wide eyes. “What?”

“Why did you make that noise?”

Melissa shrugged and scanned the bar. “Who the hell wants a human to fuck?” Ary wasn’t

shocked by her friend’s words. That was just how Melissa was. “All I’m saying is if you want to kick

thirty in the ass and celebrate like the awesome fucking cat you are, you need to find one hell of a

shifter.”

“There isn’t anything wrong with being with a human,” Candace said but quickly drank her

colada when they stared at her.

Melissa scoffed. “Yeah right. The few humans I’ve fucked have been pussies. They didn’t even

compare to the alpha-ness I require in my men.” Melissa looked at Ary then Candace. “It’s true. If you

want a male to really bruise your uterus, you need to go for a bear shifter.” She started fanning herself

and leaned back in her chair.

“God, Melissa. Do you have to be so damn vulgar?” Ary said but couldn’t help smiling.

Melissa shrugged and lifted her gaze to something behind Ary.

“Now that, right fucking there, is what I’m talking about.”

Ary turned around and felt her mouth part at the men that walked through the door. Big,

muscular, and all around badass described them to perfection. Males moved out of their way, and the

females all but dropped their panties and grabbed their ankles.

“I would so let those Wylde boys fuck me into next Sunday.”

“God, Melissa,” Candace said, but February was too transfixed on the bear shifters.

February, along with every other breathing female in the town of Sweet Water, knew who the

Wylde brothers were. The oversized, dominating alpha bear shifters that didn’t take shit from anyone,

got into far too many fights, and slept with the majority of the women in town, were a force to be

reckoned with. The three bears made their way to the bar, and here was February still staring like one

of the other horny females that surrounded them. In fact, a horde of them seemed to charge forward

like a damn herd of cows. When she finally forced herself to look away it was to see Melissa’s smirk

and the wary expression Candace wore. She looked between the two of them.

“What?” February grabbed her drink, sucked it back, and gestured to the waiter for another

while coughing from the alcohol going down the wrong pipe.

“I think you should go over there and take one of those hunky bears home.”

“Are you insane?” Their waiter dropped off another drink in front of her, but before she could

say her thanks he was facing Candace and flirting heavily with her.

Melissa tossed her curly black hair over her shoulder and glanced at the shifters in question. “I

can assure you I am totally sane.” She ran her tongue along her bottom lip, and February groaned

aloud. She knew that look, and it was one that everyone should be afraid of.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Melissa scowled over at her, but that expression soon morphed into one of wicked intent.

“I said no.”

Melissa may have not said anything, but February knew her well enough to know she was