Hunter Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Enforcer Bears Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

mate, his bear supplied.
    Steven bit his lip to keep from saying something foolish.
    “As long as you stay inside, you should be fine,” he admitted reluctantly. “The jaguar is hiding. Sorry, I don’t want to scare you; he’s clearly hiding from all humans. I’ve been hunting him for a while now. But you know how it is. A scared animal becomes dangerous as soon as it thinks that it’s trapped.”
    “No walks in the forest for me, understood,” she said. “Though I told your brother that I’m taking the boat out onto the lake instead, and no jaguar’s keeping me from that.”
    “You should be fine on the lake.” For a moment, he contemplated whether he should offer to keep her company if she wanted to take a walk in the forest after all. Then he remembered how they’d first met. Maybe he shouldn’t push it, not after that memorable first meeting…
    Coward, the bear growled in the back of his head.
    Something seemed to take over and made Steven take a step forward then—a force that drew him right towards her. He’d never felt as helpless as when he looked into her eyes.
    All of his old instincts said to run, to leave behind what could only end in more pain and the loss of the freedom that he cherished above everything else.
    But now a new instinct had taken over. And that instinct wanted to be close to her to admire the warmth of her eyes when she smiled. That instinct pulled at him relentlessly. For the first time in his life, there was a new need that overwhelmed even that old need for his freedom.
    The need for his mate.
    Steven had almost pitied his brother whose bear had been chained down by love. But now he looked into her green eyes, and the old call of the forest had lost its strength.
    He still wanted to run, to shift and be free.
    But he wanted to be close to her as well.
    Who needs new forests when we can have a forest close to her, his bear said softly.
    No, Steven thought. No, no, no. I can’t do this. I know how these things end! I’m not my brother. I’m not like… I’m not a tame bear.
    He forced himself to take a step back, and something in her eyes seemed to shutter. She sat up straight in her car once more.
    “Anyway, I should really go on. I’ve got a lot to do,” she said, then hesitated for a moment. “I’m Cleo, by the way. And, uh. I was very glad your brother confirmed that you’re not a pervert—”
    “I’m Steven. And I’m very sorry for trespassing.” Steven winced, embarrassment creeping up in him once more at the memory. “Like I said, I thought the area was deserted in the off-season, and the animal’s trails keep leading back to this lake.”
    She gave him a small smile. “It’s fine; I talked to your brother. And it seems to be important to catch that jaguar before something happens. But I would appreciate it if…”
    “If I don’t bathe in your pond anymore?” he finished for her, and they grinned at each other. “Yeah, I promise. I’ll pick a different spot along the lake. It isn’t all yours, is it?”
    “Most of it belongs to Jeremiah Higgins, actually,” she said, and for a moment a frown settled on her features. “He bought a lot of land here. In the end, my Grandma was the only one who didn’t sell to him. Though he doesn’t live here. As long as it’s all officially sanctioned by the police, I don’t think he’ll care. He’s trying to rework it all into a luxury weekend retreat resort.”
    “And you’re…?” He nodded towards the buckets of paint in her car.
    “Definitely not turning it into a luxury resort,” Cleo said firmly. “For one thing, I don’t have the money. Also, the house is perfect the way it is. I hope I can rent it out when I’m done—but it will be families with children who want to spend a summer at the lake. I used to love summers here. We’d run around until the sun went down, and my Grandpa would start a fire. He’d grill fish he’d caught himself and tell us stories about the animals that live in