Romance: The Bear's Desired Mate: BBW Bear Shifter Romance Standalone ( Shifter Romance, BBW, Werebear) (Spicy Shifters Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

be someone who was slim and beautiful. He wouldn't look twice at her despite what she thought she had seen. She was just fooling herself.
    "Maybe, maybe not. But you should ask him out. He sounds like a doll."
    "I'm off men for now."
    "Liar." Mary Ellen drawled teasingly.
    "I'm serious." Amanda tried to sound firm. "No date. Not now."
    But even as she said it, Amanda wondered if she was actually telling the truth.
    #

Grayson came in from his run feeling invigorated. His bear had been let loose and had enjoyed the exercise through the woods. Now his blood was pumped.
    He hadn't felt this energized in a long time. Something had happened to him to give him a boost. His bear had been restless a lot of the night, his body in a state of arousal until he had dealt with it. Even then, he hadn't slept well. But the run had woken him up and now he felt better than ever.
    The bear inside was telling him something about Amanda and Grayson wasn't entirely sure what he meant. It was saying 'mate' but Grayson wasn't going to take his beast as its word.
    He had no clue what to feel when a mate came alone. The belief that you would know and things would click when you met your mate was a lie. His bear was sure of it but he wasn't. He hadn't got a clue.
    All he knew was that he wanted Amanda with every fibre of his being. He wanted to have her screaming his name over and over until they passed out. The thought of Amanda naked and in his bed had Grayson's cock hardening again. Great, just what he needed.
    It took a long cold shower to calm his body back to a state of normality - or as close as it was going to get. Then he dressed and pottered about the kitchen, making his usual morning breakfast. He was checking on the bacon under the grill when Mary Ellen appeared in the doorway from the back porch. She gave him a big grin and pretended to rap on the door.
    "Knock, knock."
    Grayson chuckled, straightening up.
    "I swear you can smell food a mile off."
    It was a ritual between them. Every Tuesday his childhood friend would turn up to have breakfast with him. Somehow she always came round at exactly the same moment.
    "If you're cooking it, I certainly can." Mary Ellen looped her arms round his neck. "How you doing, big man?"
    "I'm good." Grayson hugged her back before moving away to check on the sausages, which were sizzling nicely. "How was your shift?"
    "Terrible." Mary Ellen made a face. "I'm looking forward to full moon then I can call in sick."
    "Don't they notice the amount of times you call in sick at once? And at the same time every month?"
    "I wasn't on nights last month." Mary Ellen plonked herself at the center counter. "Come on, dish up."
    Grayson laughed and began to serve the food onto two large plates. He always cooked in large quantities since as a bear shifter he had a large appetite. He piled both plates high with sausages, bacon, tomatoes, fried eggs, fried bread and beans. He also added a few slices of black pudding to Mary Ellen's. Mary Ellen took her plate eagerly and began to wolf down her food, barely stopping to drink the milk Grayson had placed by her plate.
    They were halfway through their breakfast when Mary Ellen spoke.
    "I was talking to Amanda last night."
    Grayson paused, his fork halfway to his mouth.
    "Amanda?"
    "Your newest client." Mary Ellen gave him a sly grin. "She told me she was going for private classes and I put two and two together that it was your class."
    Amanda. Immediately, his cock went hard again. Grayson coughed and shifted so Mary Ellen couldn't see his lap.
    "Oh, Amanda." He lowered his fork. "I didn't know you knew her."
    "I went to university with her. She's a cool gal." Mary Ellen munched on her fried bread. "What did you think of her?"
    Grayson chose his words carefully. He was too obvious when he was attracted to a woman. He had controlled himself enough if it was in a situation he was familiar with, such as his personal training sessions, but stick him in an environment he didn't know he