Wedding Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Enforcer Bears Book 3) (2 page)

“Oh my God,” she breathed, her eyes lingering for a moment on his strong jaw and his broad chest. He looked as though he hadn’t seen a razor in a while, but somehow, the scruffy beard and the tangled, windswept hair only added to his appeal.

“I... can explain,” he said and raised his hands to show that he was harmless.

The sheet chose that moment to slide down his perfect body.

“Oh my God,” Sidney said again, and then closed her eyes, heat rushing to her cheeks.

Well. At least now she knew that he was indeed perfect all over.

K
ayden Hunt had seen many things in his life.

Born and raised in the clan of Iron Fang, one of the most feared bear shifter alphas of the country, from a very young age on Kayden had learned to defend his position in the clan. Kayden had learned how to fight, how to stand up and keep going no matter what, and had at last earned his place among his alpha’s enforcers. They were bear warriors, all of them, soldiers who patrolled the forest belonging to their alpha, and mercilessly dealt with any invading shifters.

Kayden had earned his position by fighting and winning against the shifter who’d held the position before him. From year to year, his strength had grown. He’d kept his claws sharp and his senses honed. He didn’t allow any disrespect from any other shifter.

He knew how to take down deer in his bear form. In his human form, he was just as lethal in a fight and just as untiring when it came to manual labor. He’d built houses for other clan members, he’d felled trees, he’d done everything to help others and advance from where he’d started. In time, he might have even challenged his alpha’s second for his rank in the clan.

Kayden knew danger. He knew the thrill of the hunt, the adrenaline of the challenge, the excitement of proving himself in a fight against other bears.

But Kayden had never known anything like the gorgeous, curvy woman standing in front of him.

After he’d woken and stumbled into the house with the sheet around him, he’d seen her. Before she even turned around, he’d felt it. It was like the impact of lightning, an overwhelming sizzle of energy that seared along his nerves. Every heartbeat that thudded through him seemed to whisper one word:
mate
.

His mate. He’d found his mate.

Kayden had defected from his alpha, one of the most dangerous shifters in the country. He was pursued by his alpha’s second, the strongest bear in their clan. And yet there she was, his mate, gorgeous and sexy and—arguing with her mother.

The memory made his lips twitch. He’d been on the run for so many days that he’d forgotten what it was like to have a family squabble over things like tablecloths or sisters.

Or weddings.

“Are you okay?” She gave him a worried look.

He’d wrapped the sheet around himself once more, although he hadn’t missed the way she’d stared and blushed.

“Did you hit your head outside?” she asked anxiously. “Should I call an ambulance? And—oh God, I really should call the police! There was a bear attacking you!”

She hesitated a moment. “There
was
a bear attacking you—right? I’m not just imagining that? I thought I saw a bear, but it was only for one second, and then it was gone...”

“No, don’t!” he said hastily. “I mean... There’s no reason to call anyone. Really. I’m perfectly fine. I don’t know what happened, but I don’t remember a bear. I must have slipped and hit my head.”

She pursed her lips. “Really. So does that mean you went for a run... naked?”

“Ah, there was... a thunderstorm?” Frantically, Kayden tried to find an explanation, but couldn’t come up with anything.

He couldn’t very well tell her that she’d seen
him
, and that he’d turned from a bear back into a human when he’d lost consciousness on her patio.

If he could just distract her from the bear, everything would be okay.

“So it seems I’m your date for a wedding?” He raised an eyebrow in return.

“Oh God, the wedding.” His mate moaned in despair at the reminder. Then, suddenly, she stiffened. She pointed at him, her eyes bright with a fevered excitement.
“You
! You’re my date. For the wedding. You won’t have to do anything. All you need to do is pretend for a few hours.”

Kayden laughed out loud in surprise. He liked his mate’s fire. Every inch of her screamed determination, and her gorgeous gray eyes had turned so intense that they seemed to shine like liquid silver.

“In return,” she added hastily, “I won’t even asked why you were jogging naked—you’re not a flasher, are you? Actually, wait, I don’t care. All you have to do is go to that wedding with me. And keep your clothes on!”

“All right,” he said easily, and then smiled at the disbelief on her face.

She was staring at him, eyes wide and mouth open, as if his answer was the last thing she’d expected.

“What,” he asked, tilting his head curiously. “Free food and cake. Who’d say no to such an offer?”

“You haven’t met my family,” she said, and groaned.

Like all bears, Kayden enjoyed good food immensely. But even so, the real reason why he’d immediately agreed to her plan wasn’t the prospect of a wedding cake.

He’d have said yes to anything, even if she’d invited him to tour the local landfill, because she was his mate, and she was gorgeous.

He couldn’t stop staring at her. Her light brown hair was currently pulled back into a ponytail. Her lips were full and red, her cheeks were flushed, and her figure was that of a goddess. Just looking at her made his knees feel weak. The red shirt she wore clung to all of her curves, showing off her generous breasts and curvy hips. He wanted to draw his hands all over those soft, elegant lines of her body, claim her, make her his.

He and his clan had ended up near this small town by chance, but now that he saw his mate, he knew it must have been fate. Maybe it was her presence that had drawn him here.

He’d been looking for a new home. A home where they could be free, without a cruel alpha to rule over their clan. And not only had they found a beautiful forest to settle in, he’d also found his mate.

“Where are your clothes?” she suddenly asked. “And... are you hungry? Where are you staying? And... Oh, sorry! I’m Sidney. Sidney Lewis. My cousin and my best friend are both getting married in two weeks. And I don’t have a date. And—”

He laughed softly. “It’s okay,” he murmured, interrupting her rush of words. “You’ve got a date now. I’m Kayden Hunt. And so far, I’ve been staying out in the forest.”

“Camping?” Sidney immediately began to shake her head. “Oh no. Oh no, that won’t do. Just... stay here,” she commanded, already reaching out for her phone. “I’m going to fix that. You don’t have to worry about a thing, I’ll get all of this organized. All you have to do is—”

“Tell them all I’m your date for the wedding?” He smiled as he watched her spring into action. “Believe me, that won’t be a problem.”

“We met while you were jogging,” she said, then blushed again when she gave him another look and waved her hand. “Or maybe you got lost. Just, you know. With clothes!”

“Noted.” He couldn’t stop smiling as he watched her.

With a grimace, she violently shook her phone until suddenly it beeped and turned on again.

“Oh thank God!” she breathed, then quickly dialed a number. “Auntie May? I’m so sorry, this is an emergency, but I need a room right away, could you ask if—”

Sidney covered the phone and mouthed, “Her neighbor runs a B&B.”

Before Kayden could answer, she was back to rapidly talking on the phone.

“Yes, one of the guests will arrive early. No, we haven’t yet looked at dresses. Yes, my mother just visited. No, I’m not going to—Auntie May, I really can’t—”

Sidney gritted her teeth, finally falling silent as she listened. Then with a fake, cheerful voice, she announced, “Oops, my guest has arrived early! We’ll drive to the B&B now. Thank you so much, Auntie! Love you! Bye!”

Kayden was still chuckling when she slammed the phone back down onto her table. With a pop, the back came off and the battery fell out.

Sidney moaned in despair.

***

T
he next morning, Kayden found himself sitting at a small table in a cozy little bakery decorated in all the colors of a pastel rainbow. The Linden Creek Bakery, the various cut-out newspaper reports and certificates on the walls proclaimed, had won all the regional contests and various ribbons at the state fair. Apparently it had even starred in a TV show about wedding cakes this summer.

Kayden, who’d been on the run for the past few weeks and who’d spent most days as a bear, sleeping on fir needles curled up with the rest of his clan, was rather overwhelmed by the whole experience.

Fortunately the group of overexcited women he shared the table with seemed used to that reaction to their planning. In any case, there was so much organizing and discussion of colors and fabrics and family relationships going on that Kayden had the time to just lean back in his seat and observe.

It was a bit overwhelming, yes—but it was the good sort of overwhelming. It was the sort of overwhelming you got when families came together who really, truly cared for each other. Right now, it meant that they cared for each other down to the last detail of the decoration on the cupcakes—but for someone who’d just fled the cruelly ruled lands of a despotic alpha bear, it was a change that made Kayden relax for the first time in months.

This was what Kayden wanted for his clan. This normalcy. This care. This happiness.

This was why they had run. This was what they were fighting for.

It was good to be reminded that it was worth all the hardships of their escape.

“Here, try this one!”

When Kayden looked up, he saw a beaming woman serve him a beautifully decorated cupcake.

“That's Eve, one of our two brides,” Sidney pointed out helpfully.

“I can't believe Sidney kept you a secret from us.” Eve laughed and raised her hand to brush her hair out of her face. “So how did you two meet?”

Kayden quickly took a bite of the cupcake, leaving it to Sidney to come up with the story. When she'd driven him to the B&B the day before, they'd agreed on a basic story, but he still made certain to listen attentively as she spoke, just in case he'd have to repeat it later to her relatives.

“He's a hiker. He got lost during a thunderstorm and somehow ended up in my garden.”

“That's quite a detour,” Eve said and laughed. “And how did you cross that creek behind her garden?”

“I stumbled right into it,” Kayden said after he'd swallowed.

While everyone laughed, he reached out to cover Sidney's hand with his own. “It was quite the thunderstorm. But it was also quite a memorable meeting. Perhaps I was meant to get lost.”

“Aw, that's so romantic.” One of the other women sighed. “You're so lucky, Sidney. How come hunky hikers never get lost in
my
garden?”

Amused, Kayden trailed his fingers over Sidney's hand. Her fingers shifted beneath his own, but she didn't draw away. Emboldened, he drew her hand up to his mouth to press a kiss to it. He'd never felt anything like it before.

Warmth spread through his body. Her scent was driving him insane. The gleaming of her eyes and the dimpling of her cheeks and the way she flushed whenever they touched—nothing could have prepared him for this. He'd seen other shifters find their mates, and he'd always hoped that one day, he would find his own... but he hadn't been able to imagine how right it would feel. How happy it would make him simply to spend time in her company.

It was meant to be,
his bear whispered proudly.
We led our clan to freedom. We'll claim a territory of our own. And now we'll claim our mate and bring her happiness.

Kayden felt amusement well up inside him. His bear thought that it was so easy...

Kayden might have grown up in a clan that had forbidden the mingling with non-shifters, but Kayden had tried to learn as much as he could about them. He'd used any chance he got to prepare for a life outside of their own heavily-guarded lands.

Fortunately, fate had now given him the perfect chance to get to know Sidney. And from her reaction to him, he was certain that deep in her heart, she knew that he was meant for her as well. He'd never wondered before about how people who weren’t shifters fell in love but now that he saw the way a new light made her eyes gleam whenever their eyes met, he knew that they weren't different after all.

Shifters and humans, they could both love. And fate had already decided for them.

Now he just had to prove to Sidney that he was worthy of her love. Out in the woods, he would have tried to impress her with his strength or tracking skills. But from what he'd overheard of her conversation with her mother and friends, it seemed that Sidney had a different problem he could solve.

He couldn't believe that no one had tried to claim Sidney's heart so far.

Humans are foolish,
his bear growled silently.

But Sidney deserved to know how gorgeous she was. And more than that—Sidney deserved to be happy, and Kayden intended to be the best date he could possibly be. If she wanted to make her sister jealous and silence the small town gossip about her non-existent love life, Kayden would make damn sure he'd give them something to talk about for years.

“How's the cake?” Eve asked, beaming down at the two of them.

“Delicious!” Kayden promptly let go of Sidney's hand to take another bite.

“Really, really good,” Sidney agreed. “So is this what we're deciding today?”

Eve nodded and gestured at the selection of cakes on her counter. “You're my guinea pigs today. I want something special for the wedding.”

“You're really going to bake your own wedding cake? Eve, you'll run yourself ragged!” Sidney looked worried for a moment. “When will you sleep?”

Eve sighed deeply. “I know, I know! I really wanted to—”

“But I told her that there's no way I'm going to allow my little Eve to bake her own wedding cake!” A white-haired man had come out from the back of the bakery, and moved towards their little table. He shook Kayden's hand.