Page 4 of Bearly in Love

four

MADISON

My heart was beating hard again, and not because of my attempt to trek through the snow.

Not because of the deep, intense cold that had sunk into my bones during my escape, either. Though that did suck.

My heart was pounding because of Bo.

I didn’t think it had stopped since he told me he’d wanted me.

When I found my underwear in his pocket, there was no way to deny that anymore.

He was attracted to me. Extremely attracted, considering he had taken my bra and shorts.

If a shifter was that interested in the way you smelled, things were serious.

But Ambrose ?

How could he possibly want me that way?

That was pure insanity… wasn’t it?

I shut off the shower.

I hadn’t washed my hair or even scrubbed the rest of my body, but I’d warmed up, and I needed more information.

Why hadn’t he told me sooner?

Why hadn’t he done something about his attraction to me after I graduated? I’d been eighteen the last time we’d seen each other. He’d been twenty. I’d helped him move into his cabin, much to Artie’s annoyance.

I’d mostly done it to get out of a required visit with my asshole fiancé, but still. We had been old enough that he could’ve said something.

Unless he was attracted to me, but not interested in my personality.

Or just not interested in having a mate.

Both options seemed pretty valid. Bear shifters were almost always male (like most breeds of shifters) and were loyal to their chosen mate for life. But they didn’t live with their mates or even stay with them at all. Their mate usually raised their kid alone.

When the bear shifter was still around, he usually had his own house, and custody was split between both parents.

Plus, grizzlies were crazy fertile after picking a mate. Also like most breeds of shifters. So, babies usually happened immediately.

I’d spent my whole life being told that I existed to raise little kitsunes for my alpha, so I wasn’t exactly opposed to starting a family. I had never wanted to do it so young, but it had always been a solid part of my plans.

Running away meant I didn’t have to become a mom right away. It would be nice to get to choose, instead of it just being expected.

But there was still a good chance my fiancé would find me.

So I wasn’t going to let myself get too caught up in the fantasy of freedom.

I wrapped a towel around my middle and slipped out of the shower. Opening the door quietly, I stepped out of the bathroom.

I’d heard Bo’s door close a few minutes earlier, so I knew he wasn’t out there. That was good, because I was wearing even less clothes than I had been the last time I saw him.

That had been bad enough. I wasn’t risking a meeting in the nude. Not when I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around him actually being attracted to me, or what it could mean.

It obviously didn’t mean anything serious, but still.

I took two steps out of the door before hearing a soft, gravelly groan.

And halting.

Another, slightly louder groan met my ears, and my body flushed.

Bo couldn’t be jerking off.

Could he?

The third groan was louder than the first two.

My lower half clenched.

He totally was.

Crap.

He couldn’t be jerking off to me , though. Right?

I mean, he had said he was attracted to me. And he had been hard. And he’d stolen my underwear.

Holy shit, he was definitely jerking off to me.

My body flushed hotter.

I crossed the cabin silently, grabbing my bag as quietly as possible. Thankfully, I made it back to the bathroom and closed the door securely behind me again.

I should not be turned on by the thought of Bo getting off to my scent, but I was.

Definitely was.

I didn’t want to know what that made me. Or how messed up it was.

The man was stupidly attractive and smelled amazing—that was good enough reasoning. Hopefully.

I needed to wash off before Bo smelled how turned on I was, so I climbed back in the shower.

An hour later, I finally emerged.

My stomach was growling, and Bo was at the stove again.

The smell of grilled cheese made my belly clench.

Yeahhh, that smelled good.

It hid Bo’s scent, too. Which was a stroke of luck for me, because I wasn’t sure how my body would respond if I could smell the saltiness of his pleasure mixed with his naturally incredible scent.

“You didn’t eat breakfast,” Bo said, without looking away from the four sandwiches he’d miraculously managed to fit in one pan together. “I put it in the microwave.”

“Eggs go well with grilled cheese,” I said.

It was bullshit.

Luckily, Bo didn’t call me out on the awkward comment.

Unluckily, I now had to stick to my guns and eat both meals.

I heated the eggs for a couple seconds and took them to the table, downing them quickly while he finished making lunch. They were far from delicious—they’d been done for hours—but way better than nothing.

I definitely wasn’t going to complain.

Bo sat down beside me with two stacks of sandwiches as I scraped my plate clean.

I looked over at the second stack. “You know I don’t eat as much as a grizzly, right?”

“I’ll finish whatever you don’t.”

I moved a few of my sandwiches to his stack, so there were only two left for me.

We were both quiet as we blew through the food.

When we were done, I took the dishes to the sink.

“You don’t need to clean anything,” Bo grumbled, following me.

“If I can’t leave for the Canyon, I might as well make myself useful. Do you have a dishwasher?”

He made a noise of confirmation and pulled open what looked like a cabinet. He’d definitely redone the kitchen, though he’d gone with a rustic version of a modern look.

I did a double-take. “Damn, that looks cool.”

“I’m sure your alpha has something fancier.

“He’s not mine, and I wouldn’t know. I’ve done everything I can to stay as far from him as possible.”

Bo folded his arms and leaned back against the cabinets, only a foot or two away from me. “How often did you see him?”

“Once a year as a kid, and you know I got out of some of those. The last few years, it’s been once a quarter. I’ve managed to dodge over half of them, but it’s always awkward.”

“What were the meetings like?”

“Uncomfortable dinners, usually. He talked about himself, and didn’t ask questions about me other than surface level. He knows my favorite color and flower, and he knows why I don’t like dresses. Pretty sure that’s it, though.”

Bo scoffed. “What are they?”

“What are what?”

“Your favorite color and flower?”

I shot him a look over my shoulder. “Did you really just ask me that?”

He grunted.

I waited.

Finally, he jerked his head in a nod.

I looked back at the dishes.

What kind of parallel universe had I walked into? This version of Ambrose was nothing like the asshole I’d known since I was a kid. When I was in high school, he would’ve sooner mocked me or shot me with a water gun than asked anything about me.

“I told him red, and red roses.”

“You told him?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I lied.”

“Why?”

“He doesn’t care about me. He never did, and never will. I’m just a female fox with a womb to him.”

“What are they really?” he asked.

“My favorites?”

Bo made a sound of confirmation.

“Blue. Like the ocean, at the Resort.” I finally started loading the dishes. I’d wasted way too much water already.

“The Supernatural Resort? Have you been?”

“Yeah. The alpha paid for me to take a vacation as a last hurrah. I think he was hoping I’d screw a couple of guys so I’d know how to do my wifely duties .”

“He doesn’t actually call them that,” Bo grumbled.

“Oh, he does. I got a list of his expectations in the mail. And in an email. And as a text.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“What did it say?”

When I looked back at him, he was leaning toward me. His expression was somewhere between murderous and amused. I definitely hadn’t felt any of the latter when I received it, but I could see why someone else would.

“It was separated into daily, weekly, and monthly. I’ll be in charge of all of the cleaning and cooking, of course.”

Bo snorted. “Of course. He’ll hire a chef pretty quickly.”

“Or he’ll sign me up for some classes, because I can’t cook for anything.”

“What else?”

“I’m expected to smile and stay silent unless someone addresses me directly at any meeting I attend. Especially if there are supernaturals there.”

“That’s a fucking joke.”

“I wish.” I finished loading the dishes in the sink, and went to the stove to grab the rest.

“There’s nothing sexual on the list,” he said.

“Isn’t there?”

“What does it say?” His voice was lower.

“I’m expected to have children consistently until I either have five girls, or ten kids. Whichever comes first. Girls are better for trading with and strengthening the species. I’ll need to be pregnant with another baby before the previous one hits six months, obviously.”

“Obviously.” His voice was dangerous.

“If the alpha wants to fuck me, I’m expected to take my clothes off and let him.

After he’s done and leaves my room, I can bring myself pleasure.

If there’s time. If he wants a blowjob at any given moment, I’m expected to get on my knees.

If I’m not in the mood or not feeling well, I’m expected to pretend otherwise.

If he's ever having a bad day, I’m expected to improve it with my mouth and body. ”

“What the fuck?” Bo snarled. “You’d better be kidding.”

“I’m not. I’d show you, but my phone was in my car when it started burning.”

“Does Artie know?” His voice was still basically an animal’s.

“Artie has never given a shit about me. He didn’t even invite me to his wedding. He definitely never tried to get me out of my engagement.”

“That’s not true.”

“What did he do, then?” I countered.

There was a beat of silence.

If he had done something to try to help me, Bo would’ve known about it. I hadn’t seen either of them in half a decade, but I knew they still talked frequently. They were basically brothers.

I may as well have been an only child.

“He cares in his own way,” Bo finally said.

“His way of caring looks just like everyone else’s way of not giving a shit.”

“He’s not all bad.”

“I never said he was.”

Bo let out a harsh breath. “You can’t mate with the alpha.”

“I can, but I’m not going to unless I have to. If there’s a way out, I’m going to take it. Which is why I’m here. Running away.”

“Hiding out with the yetis isn’t a good way to get out of a mate bond, Mads.”

“I’m not staying in the canyon. I’m going back to the resort. I’m friends with the witch who owns it.”

Bo’s forehead creased. “I thought a phoenix shifter owned it. Lee or something.”

“Liam’s mated to the witch I’m friends with.

We bonded over arranged marriages. Hers didn’t come with a list of wifely duties, luckily for her.

And him, because she probably would’ve killed him.

Anyway, Sage will give me a place to live.

I’ll teach yoga classes or serve food if they don’t have anything else for me to do. ”

“What have you been doing for work since you graduated?”

“I still teach dance classes in Cub Lake,” I said.

“I took over the studio a few years ago. I’ll have to sign it over to my friend Leslie when I’m gone.

She’s mated to one of the guys in the skulk.

I already have her covering for me for the next few weeks, because…

well, because I’m running away, obviously. ”

I added the last part hastily.

I’d told him the wedding had been delayed.

He scoffed. “When are you really supposed to be getting married?”

I looked at the clock. “Right now.”

Bo swore viciously. “Really, Madi?”

“I didn’t get cold feet. I decided I wasn’t interested in a life of wifely duties.”

“You should’ve broke off the engagement months ago. Years ago,” he growled.

“I tried. Repeatedly. Getting rid of someone you’ve been basically sold to isn’t as easy as it sounds,” I snapped back. “He knows how to fight, and all of the other kitsunes will help him hunt me down if they can. They don’t care about whether I’m willing. They care that I’m a fox.”

“But they won’t follow you to the resort?” Bo sounded skeptical.

“I’m sure they will. I’m going to talk some other guy into mating with me after I get there. I hit it off with a few of the shifters who live there while I was on vacation, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to convince one of them.”

“That’s your plan?”

“Yup.”

“It’s a horrible plan.”

I glared at him over my shoulder. “I’m out of options. And time. Bad plans are all I have right now.”

He glared back.

I shut the dishwasher and feigned a yawn. “Now is a great time for a nap. You probably have work to do. See you in a few hours.”

Without a backward glance, I walked back to the couch I’d slept on.

And forced myself to try going back to sleep.