Wild Bear (6 page)

Patience, Mav. Patience.
But the bear in him had begun pacing.

She bent over slightly, hands on her knees, trying to breathe. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I went down for a nap and slept late. Am I too late?”

“No,” Mav said, putting on a cool demeanor as he led her to a horse. He was surprised how easy it was to act unaffected around her, like Wyatt had told him to. Even if his bear, and his dick, had taken immediate notice. Around these men and on a trail ride, it was easy to pretend she was just a normal client.

Plus, he didn’t want to look at her in the way these men did. If you asked him, they were the real animals, talking about a woman like that.

At least Maverick only lusted after his mate. And that was because he wanted to keep her forever.

He held out his hands for her to step up and into the saddle. Then he helped her adjust her feet and handed her a helmet, as he’d done for the other men. He’d put her on Marshmallow, his sweetest horse by far. Marshmallow had never thrown a rider, and Maverick’s protective instincts would buzz a little quieter if he knew Harmony were safe that way.

The dark-haired man, Richard, sighed. “We gonna head out or what? This is boring.”

Maverick stifled a growl and mounted his own horse in one swift movement. “We’re headed out.” He led the way and knew the other horses would follow no matter what their idiot riders did. He only wished he could be at the back with Harmony. Marshmallow always liked to bring up the rear, and so Maverick had the two male riders between them.

He wished he could see if she was enjoying the ride or the scenery. But he needed to pick the right paths to show the city boys a good time and make them think they were going through the Wild West, not just an easy mountain path where a child could ride.

After this, he’d take Harmony on a solo ride, and then he could enjoy every one of her expressions.

He led them through a rambling trail with aspens on all sides, to a pasture with wide, swaying green and yellow grasses, where you could look up and see the mountains on all sides. Some of the trees were already starting to turn shades of orange and gold, and Mav turned back to see how Harmony was taking it all in.

And saw the dark-haired man turning back in his saddle to say something that made Harmony’s eyes go wide just before she laughed.

Tension rippled through Maverick, and he gripped the reins hard, trying to resist the urge to go back there.

Nope, he couldn’t.

He wheeled his horse around and trotted back there, pulling up alongside Harmony and Richard. “What’s up?”

Harmony’s brown eyes widened and her lips made a little O as she saw him, making Maverick grin. He liked that he had an affect on his woman.

Richard, the ass, seemed to not like it quite as much. “The help doesn’t need to come back during the ride,” he quipped. “I’m just talking to the lady about something that doesn’t concern you.”

Maverick felt his expression darken as he looked over at Harmony. If she looked even the slightest bit uncomfortable, he’d knock this city slicker off his horse.

But she just gave him a calm, almost taunting look, as if daring him to do something about it, and Maverick just nudged his horse and went back to the head of the line.

He was used to city men underestimating him. Seeing him as some stupid hick. Not realizing he was an animal who could tear out of these clothes and take them out with one swipe.

He didn’t need a knowledge of hedge funds to know these men were douchebags and knock them on their ass for it.

But he’d seen something in Harmony’s eyes flicker when he’d turned away and not said anything, so maybe Wyatt had something with this whole “cool and patient” thing.

Hopefully Maverick could pull it off a little longer.

He could feel his mate’s gaze on him as he rode ahead, and that was enough for him for now.

But if those city slickers put one hand out of line, he was going to show them just how “helpful” the “help” could be.

D
amn
, Maverick was hot in the saddle.

Not that Harmony should be noticing, but with that cowboy hat, wearing inexplicably beautiful and fitted clothing, with that undeniably gorgeous face and body, he made the men next to her look like pale watercolors in comparison, whereas he was a flesh-and-blood sculpture.

Her mouth watered as he rode back to his place at the front of the line.

She’d been shocked and impressed when he’d held himself back from interfering in the situation between her and Richard. She found Richard’s attention partly flattering, partly annoying, but she could handle him.

She’d been dealing with men like that her whole life.

It looked like Maverick was trying to show her he could be civilized after all, and she found that attractive.

The day was beautiful, and between the stunning vistas all around her and the sight of her handsome cowboy riding that horse just as well as he’d ridden her, Harmony was feeling pretty good.

And pretty awkward.

She hadn’t known what she’d feel when she showed up for the trail ride. If she’d still be angry or if he’d do something stupid, like try to make a move on her in front of the other guys to make some caveman-esque claim on her.

But he hadn’t. So maybe this could work, if he could behave.

“Could you imagine living out here?” Richard asked in front of her in a snarky voice. “So boring.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “It grows on you.”

“Yeah?” he asked. “So what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a singer,” she said.

“Yeah? Sing something for us,” Richard said sardonically.

It was a rude request. Impertinent. And since singing was her job, something she got paid for, Harmony usually gave a polite no.

But today, because of the fresh air and the open space and the feeling of freedom she felt being on a horse, which was gentle and sweet, she wanted to sing anyway.

As they started up a small trail that wound around the bottom of the mountain, she started to sing, belting a jazz tune that was part of her set at work.

Richard gave an impressed tilt of his head and a shrug, and Arnie looked back at her with a grin. But Maverick stopped dead in his tracks, nearly making the other horses bump into him. It caused some trouble as the city guys were jostled by their horses coming to a complete stop and nearly stumbling, and Harmony stopped singing abruptly as she realized it was her song that had made Maverick stop.

Ignoring Richard, who was now shaking his fist and trying to berate him, Maverick turned slowly in his saddle and pinned her with a hot glare that melted her down to the core. Suddenly, the air between them felt like nothing. It felt like he could reach out and touch her, from twenty feet away. His dark eyes stared straight into her soul, and she was having a hard time finding her breath again.

She let out a slow exhale, and Maverick finally breathed, clicked his tongue, and started his mount moving again.

His casual stance in the saddle exuded power. He was at home here, this was his domain, and Harmony just couldn’t have found it any sexier.

She wondered if this “playing it cool” thing would extend to when they were back at the ranch.

“I guess you’re pretty good,” Richard muttered. “Like a lounge singer.”

Maverick stopped once again but then kept going, and Harmony breathed a sigh of relief. She was used to hearing it.

“Yeah, actually, that’s what I do,” she said.

“Ah,” Richard said. “Makes sense.”

“She’s too good to be a lounge singer,” Arnie said. “You know, I might know someone in New York you could talk to.”

“Really?” Harmony asked.

“Sure,” Arnie said. “We can talk when we get back.”

Now Harmony could see definite tension in Maverick’s shoulders, but she watched him shrug it off and keep moving.

A part of her was impressed by his restraint. A part of her wanted to see him shake it off, see him get rough and dominant again.

“We can talk tonight,” she said. “I always stay up late. I’ll give you my room number.”

Ha-ha,
that
got him.

Maverick’s back went uncomfortably straight. “We’ll loop around here and go back,” he said harshly. “We’ve been out long enough.”

“Aw, man,” Arnie said, seeming disappointed.

“Thank heavens,” Richard said. “My ass is sore.”

“You need more padding,” Mav said, trotting past him to take up the lead again in the other direction. As he passed Harmony, his eyes slid over her in a quick, possessive glare. One that said they’d talk about this later.

“He’s not coming to your room,” he muttered. Then he urged his mount on and was up in the lead again, with the two men between them.

Harmony bit her lip. Maybe that had gone a bit far.

“Tonight, huh?” Arnie said, looking back. “You up for a devil’s threesome?”

Harmony blanched as Richard threw his head back with a laugh.

“No,” she said flatly.

“What’s that?” Maverick called back.

“Nothing,” Arnie said, snickering still.

Harmony was aghast at what a crude turn that had taken.

“No,” she said. “I just meant we could talk at night. You know, after activities are done.”

They were making a little quicker pace back to the lodge now. Harmony could feel the tension in the air, and even if she was pretty sure Maverick had no idea what a devil’s threesome even was, she was pretty sure he’d kill the guys if he found out.

“My apologies if I offended,” Arnie said. “I was only joking.”

“I see,” she said. “Well, try not to do it again.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Sorry.”

The rest of the ride went without issue. Harmony didn’t say anything to the men for the rest of the ride.

She’d thought the civilized men would be a good break from Maverick’s wildness. Instead, they just made her aware of his good points. Sure, he was aggressive and impulsive. But he didn’t say gross things and act like a slime ball while pretending to be civilized.

He was just openly an animal. She preferred it that way.

“You okay back there, Harmony?” Mav asked, calling back to her.

“Yup,” she said, heating with awareness at just hearing his voice saying her name. She wanted him to say it again, in bed.

Dammit, what was wrong with her? She’d seen how that went last time, and all it took was seeing him on a horse to decide she had to have him again? She needed to calm the fuck down.

When they got back, Maverick helped the others dismount, sending them back to the lodge before coming to help her down.

When he put his hands on her waist, she felt blood rush into her cheeks—and other places.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for this morning,” he said in a deep voice as he lifted her down. “I’m not going to be so overbearing.”

She looked up at him, perplexed at how he was going to accomplish that.

“I still want you, but I can wait,” he said, taking the reins of her horse to lead it back in the barn.

“I guess I’ll see you later, then?” she asked, folding her arms and looking over at him. She hated herself for not being able to hold a grudge.

He studied her silently. It looked like he wanted to say yes, but then he shook his head.

“No, I have stuff I have to do tonight. You hang out with Bonnie and Ruby. We’ll see each other tomorrow.”

She couldn’t help feeling a bit of disappointment. “Okay.”

“See ya,” he said. Then he tipped his hat to her and led the horse into the barn.

Dammit, why did him suddenly pulling back just make him that much more attractive?

M
averick made
good on his promise to stay away from Harmony for the rest of the day and evening.

Even if it felt like he was bursting out of his skin.

He’d given Shane a heads-up about their guests being jerks and told him to keep an eye out. Shane had promised he and Ruby would stay with Harmony the entire night.

So Maverick had let the bear that was bursting to get out of him tear out of his skin and take him up into the mountains, where they felt most at home.

As he rested on his stomach in the cool night air, he wondered if he really wanted a mate who only wanted him when he acted like another man.

Maybe that was the man he’d have been if he hadn’t been born to a female who was more bear than human, if he hadn’t been dumped in the woods. If he hadn’t been lost there for years before anyone found him.

But he wasn’t going to get lost in coulda, woulda, shouldas.

Now that the moon was out, he was aching for his mate. It was nighttime; he should be taking her. She should be home in his cabin. Instead, she was down in the main lodge, laughing and playing games with his brothers and their mates and probably those two assholes from New York.

Maverick had about had it with acting civilized. He’d have given it up right after the ride if she hadn’t seemed more eager to see him due to him being standoffish.

But what if she always wanted him standoffish? When was he going to pounce her again, then?

She’d looked so beautiful on the ride. Dark skin alight in the sunshine, curls bouncing with each step, a wide smile.

And the most stunning thing of all, something that had made the bear in him literally sit up and sway in an almost hypnotic trance, was her voice.

She had real talent. Not that Maverick knew much about such things, but she could really go somewhere. Be something. She sounded amazing. Her voice was rich, husky, soulful, and when it rose up into higher notes, beautiful.

He’d give anything to hear her sing again. It made the bear in him react in a way nothing else ever had. Made him feel soothed, calm in a way he felt most people must know for a lot of their lives.

But not him. He mostly felt wild, chaotic, and confused, living in a world where he didn’t belong.

The only time he wanted to belong there was when Harmony was around.

The bear side of him grumbled that they should go down and see her. But Maverick tried to hold back.

She was probably having fun on her own. And she’d be disappointed if she saw how little control he had.

And they’d just had sex that morning. She’d probably still be sore. Plus, the horseback riding she’d done, though it was gentle.

But the longer he fought it off, the more the tension built up inside him.

Maybe he would just go down and see what was happening. Casual like. He could use food as an excuse, go see Fanny.

The last thing he wanted to do was something that would make her call him a caveman again and say she wanted lots of things that had nothing to do with him.

Then again, he’d been stupid. Of course, with that kind of talent, her career and her singing meant something. He was a stupid bear, so he hadn’t realized it. But she had a life outside all of this.

He didn’t know how that was going to work out. He couldn’t survive outside of this mountain. His bear would go insane surrounded by buildings.

And he wasn’t sure if she could survive out here, where no one could hear her beautiful voice.

He was going to have to figure out a way around that.

But first, he would just go down the mountain and get a little glimpse of his mate. Just make sure she was all right and no one was bothering her.

Maybe give the city boys a glare for good measure, when she wasn’t looking of course. Remind them to keep their hands to themselves.

The more he allowed his possessive side to take over, the more comfortable he felt. By the time he was back at his cabin, changing into his human form, excited to see his mate, he’d basically left Wyatt’s advice in the dust, totally forgotten.