Page 3 of Bear Boss’s Mate (Pleasantville Shifter #1)

THE FOREST WAS JUST waking up as Austin shifted into his bear form and ran through the trees, inhaling the fresh air into his lungs. He slowed near a small stream, looking up at the first rays of morning light that were poking through the trees.

After pausing for a few minutes, he stretched his bear’s body onto his back legs and let out a roar before heading back to his home on the edge of the forest.

Today was Monday, and as CEO and co-owner of Bear Bones Construction, he was expected to head the weekly meeting.

His bear side didn’t care about meetings or work. All it wanted was to find their mate, and it was tired of his failure to do that. For the last two years, business had picked up a lot. So Austin and Bern had kept up by hiring staff and contractors as needed, while taking on more building projects.

Now that circumstances were looking even better for the business side of things, Austin was feeling a lack of fulfillment in other areas of his life. Over the past year, he’d been feeling more like he would never meet his fated mate.

Not that he couldn’t have any woman he wanted. Attracting women wasn’t an issue for him. Finding the right woman was the problem. He’d had his fair share of sexual encounters over the years, but he’d never had a true connection with any of the women. His inner bear wasn’t happy, and nor was he.

He was frustrated.

The lack of female companionship was causing him to be more irritable than he would like. He wasn’t getting any younger, and now his priorities were changing. He was tired of going home to an empty house night after night and was ready to settle down and start a family.

After showering and getting dressed, he headed to the office.

About ten minutes before the meeting was supposed to start, he went to sit in the meeting room to wait for others to join him. Some of them were already seated, chatting over morning coffee.

“Good Morning,” Sheila from marketing murmured as she eyed him with the same wanton look she always gave him. He shook his head and mumbled a greeting to all the staff seated so far. It was tiresome to him how some women refused to take no for an answer.

He realized Sheila had him in her sights and suspected it was more the fact that he had money than any physical attraction to him. The woman appeared to be high maintenance and was always vying for his attention.

A couple of times, she’d thrown herself at him, but he turned her down. He knew things could get complicated if Sheila thought he cared for her. He couldn’t respect her because of her behavior and found her very hard to be around.

The meeting was due to start, and the project manager, Bern, had not yet made an appearance. He knew his friend was at work because his car was outside in the parking lot.

As the minutes ticked away, Austin became more annoyed by the delay.

He stood, pushing back his chair. “I’ll be right back,” he said and stalked out of the room.

Grumbling to himself, he ran a hand through his hair.

He didn’t enjoy heading up the meetings as it was, and preferred to get it over with as fast as possible.

When he rounded a corner in the hall, he saw Bern and a woman talking. As they both turned in his direction, he was surprised by what he saw. She was curvy and beautiful, just the kind of woman he liked. Her voluptuous figure and large breasts made parts of him stand to attention.

Surprised at his body’s reaction to her, he paused, dumbstruck for a moment. He glanced at his wristwatch to distract himself and curb the rise in him. His voice came out more harshly than he’d intended. “You coming to the meeting?”

Bern seemed oblivious to Austin’s arousal over the enticing woman standing next to him. In fact, he had the gall to look amused rather than apologetic at being late. Then it hit him, and he remembered Bern had told him he’d hired a new accountant.

But he’d assumed that the woman Bern hired would be a middle-aged frump in whom he’d have no interest. He couldn’t have been any more wrong. The woman with Bern was not the type of beauty he expected to be working for his company.

As he stood watching her, his bear roared with joy.

‘Mate!’

His body tensed. I’ve got to get out of here, he thought as he hurried back to the meeting. After taking a couple of deep breaths, he entered the meeting room to retake his seat. He couldn’t help but think that things were about to get interesting at Bear Bones Construction.

Bern and the new woman entered the meeting room and took their seats. Austin watched her as she refused to look up at anyone at first. When she did look at him, he noticed her eyes widen for a brief moment before an adorable, rosy tinge appeared on her cheeks.

He hoped that would change once she settled into her job. One thing was certain. He couldn’t wait to get to know her. After the introductions, he started the meeting, catching her eye several times as she snuck glances at him.

He sensed she was unsure of him, but he hoped that he’d have the chance to show her his good side after the meeting. Something about this brown-haired, sweet-faced woman left him wanting to see a lot more of her.

His inner bear roared and fought him all the way through the meeting. He willed him to shut up so he could focus. Something about this woman had him thinking about dating again.

After the meeting, Austin returned to his office. He couldn’t stop thinking about Marcy. Her wide hips, those to-die-for curves, and luscious rosy lips that begged to be kissed all left him experiencing feelings he had never expected.

Austin bit down on his lip at the memory of her. He wanted to get another look at the beauty. He needed to.

Leaving his office, he took the stairwell down to the second floor, where her office was located. He put his hands in his pockets and walked toward her office door.

The thought that she might be his mate filled him with happiness. He’d waited so long to find her. He hoped his suspicions were correct.

Austin noticed that her office door was open as he leaned in to say hello. He frowned when he saw she wasn’t there. He was about to turn and leave when he noticed a bouquet on the floor in front of her desk.

Austin walked into the office and reached down to pick it up, along with a card that lay next to it. He laid the flowers on her desk and glanced at the card as he set it down next to them. His brow furrowed. Who is Mick?

He hadn’t seen a wedding ring on her hand at the meeting and hoped she was unattached. Austin’s ears perked at the sound of footsteps coming closer. Before he turned, someone bumped up against him.

He spun round to see Marcy, realizing immediately she’d been crying, though he had no idea why. When it was clear she didn’t want to talk, he hurried out of her office feeling confused but also excited.

The moment their arms touched, a spark of sizzling energy went through him. That had never happened before. His bear moaned at the sight of Marcy, and again at her touch. Austin left her office more aroused than ever.

Now that he’d met her, the urge to claim her as his mate was potent. Austin wished she didn’t have a partner. His bear was roaring at him to ask her out.

Now he wasn’t so sure he had a choice in the matter. With another man in the picture, Austin would have to wait and see what happened next.

He also wanted to find out more about her.

What kind of moron makes a beautiful woman like Marcy this upset?

This Mick character didn’t deserve her.