The Bear’s Capture Read online

  The Bear’s Capture

  Jenika Snow

  THE BEAR’S CATURE

  By Jenika Snow

  www.JenikaSnow.com

  [email protected]

  Copyright © August 2018 by Jenika Snow

  First E-book Publication: August 2018

  Cover photo provided by: Adobe Stock

  Editor: Kasi Alexander

  Proofreader: Liz Murach

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction, transmission, or distribution of any part of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  This literary work is fiction. Any name, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Please respect the author and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials that would violate the author’s rights.

  Contents

  The Bear’s Capture

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  Excerpt: His Wrath (Underground, 2)

  The Underground Series

  His Wrath

  Chapter 1

  More by Jenika

  About the Author

  Bear

  The solitude had always been my companion and I accepted it, embraced it. Living on my own with the forest as my backyard had always been good enough for me.

  Until it no longer was.

  The quiet could be loud, the loneliness a burden. I was tired of being on my own. I wanted a wife, needed a woman to call my own.

  Who I wanted was Susie.

  She was sweet and kind, innocent and soft in all the right places. She made this caveman part of me rise up and take control. The things I wanted to do to her would probably frighten her, scare her away for good.

  I didn’t pretend to be a gentle man. I was brutal and savage in my way of living, but when I looked at her I felt something soften within me.

  It was time to man up and tell her what I wanted, that she was all I thought about, all I needed in my life.

  Susie

  I’d loved Bear for as long as I could remember, but I was just the grocery delivery girl, a person he barely talked to, rarely saw when I did my drop-offs. I’d always been too much of a coward to tell him how I felt, so I divulged all my longings and secrets to my best friend.

  But I was tired of doing that. I wanted to be honest with him even if that ended up putting this wall between us, even if I got a broken heart.

  I was willing to risk all of that to pour my heart out, to finally be honest.

  I was willing to do all of that in the hopes he would say he loved me too.

  Warning: This may not be a paranormal story, but it has bite to it! With a growly, celibate hero who’s been lusting after one virginal heroine, it’s time he staked his claim in all the ways that matter. Don’t worry, it’s still safe with a HEA and all the sexy goodness that goes along with it!

  1

  Susie

  I’d been taking groceries up to Bear Hollis’ cabin in the woods for the last two years. He was quiet, with a stony composure and cold demeanor. Despite his brisk attitude and the fact he ignored me the majority of the time, I wanted him. He was the strong, silent type, living alone, embracing solitude as if it were his best friend. I didn’t feel sorry for him, not when I could see how much he enjoyed being by himself.

  I pulled my beat-up Cherokee to a stop in front of his cabin and cut the engine. I didn’t see him at first, but there were many times when I dropped off his groceries and never saw him at all. He was a lone wolf, not even wanting to come into town to do his monthly grocery shopping, and instead paid the fee to have the store send me up to deliver. I didn’t mind though, not when there were those chances of getting to see him.

  Maybe that’s why I was the only one who volunteered to drop off his shit. Maybe everyone else was too afraid of the man he’d become.

  I wasn’t ashamed to admit that over the years, my fascination and arousal for him had grown into something much more.

  Love.

  I loved a man who didn’t even look at me half the time, who probably didn’t even know my name after all these years. I was in love with a man who couldn’t stand to be around people, whose only friend was another recluse loner named Wolf, who’d just found himself a wife after years of solitude. I was insane for wanting Bear, should have just put him to the back of my mind and moved on with my life.

  But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

  I got out of the car and shut the door, standing there for a moment to see if he would emerge. When he was at home he usually came out and grabbed the groceries out of the back of my car, not saying anything but giving me a gruff grunt as if that was his way of saying thank you.

  But all was still and quiet, which led me to believe he wasn’t home. I opened the back door and started grabbing the paper bags out of the backseat. There was a month’s supply of food I’d brought with me this time, mainly nonperishables, but he’d also requested fresh fruits and vegetables.

  Although I knew he had a garden during the summer months, some fruits and veggies couldn’t be grown in our zone.

  Taking the porch steps one at a time, I set one of the bags down and knocked on the front door. I already knew he wasn’t around, but I never just barged into his place. When there was no answer, I opened the front door and picked up the bags again before heading inside. The interior of his cabin smelled like pine, not the chemical, artificial kind, but the real wood aroma. It was the kind that told me he’d built this place on his own, cut the trees down, hammered them in place, made this his own.

  Even if I didn’t know that to be true, the craftsmanship and how much effort and pride he put into building this place was evident.

  It took me four trips to my car before I had all of his groceries inside. As per every other time before, I took everything out of the paper bags, not putting it away, but setting it on the counters. A part of me liked doing this even if it wasn’t my job. I felt like this could be where I lived, putting the groceries away while the man I loved was out hunting for us.

  I was insane, absolutely crazy for what I wanted and how I felt.

  Placing my hands on the edge of the sink, I curled my fingers around the ceramic and stared out the small window. All I saw was trees, these woods so thick and high up on the mountain that the air had a crispness to it. It was the middle of summer but up here there was a chill in the air when the wind moved through the trees.

  I turned and stared at his place, having been in this home countless times over the last couple of years. To my left there were two leather chairs, worn and tattered from years of use. Between them was a coffee table, one that appeared handmade, no doubt by Bear.

  The fireplace was in the center, the stone mantle dark from soot and use. There was a short hallway off to the side, the bathroom on one side and his bedroom on the other. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, the scent of Bear mixing with the pine and the wilderness making me feel drunk.

  I couldn’t stay up here forever even if I wanted to. And I really wanted to. I wanted Bear to notice me, to see past my pin-straight brown hair, the Plain Jane appearance, and the Olive Oyl skinny body. He was masculine and big, strong and muscular. I was short and felt frumpy, not pretty at all, certainly not for a man like Bear.

  But I wanted him to see me, to notice me.

  God, I wanted it s
o badly.

  Pushing away from that counter, I took the paper bags with me and walked out to my car. I heard birds chirping overhead, a woodpecker a few feet away. I tipped my head back, following the thick lines of the redwood trees, the noise from those birds seeming to go on for miles.

  And then there wasn’t any noise, just this peaceful stillness that seemed to encompass me.

  The quiet was loud … peaceful.

  Maybe one day when I came up here I’d have the nerve to tell him how I felt, that I was here, that I wanted him to notice me. Maybe one day I’d have the courage to tell Bear that I loved him, that I wanted to stay with him, isolated from everyone and everything.

  Just the two of us.

  I kept saying that, but it seemed that “one day” never did come.

  2

  Bear

  I stood behind a thick redwood, watching as she drove off, her Jeep bouncing on the uneven terrain. My body was tight, hard in all the right places. I should feel shame for wanting her, for the things I thought about, the things I wanted to do to her. But I felt nothing but possessiveness and territorial desire.

  In one hand I held an axe, the fallen tree I’d been chopping up for firewood just a few feet from me. I should’ve gone and spoken to her, said something, asked her to stay for dinner.

  Told her she was mine.

  I’d stayed back, hidden behind the trees, concealed by the shadows. Been a coward.

  But I wanted Susie like I wanted to breathe. I’d watched her for years, desired her for just as long. She was the first woman, the only one who stirred my cold heart, had it beating faster, harder. But I was a coward, unsure how to proceed, knowing that if I told her what I wanted, that I desired her above all else, that I wanted her with me always, it would scare the hell out of her.

  But a part of me, one I kept buried, hidden because of the ferocity of it, the intensity, was slowly rising up, taking control. It was growing stronger, that primal need to make Susie mine rising up like a tsunami, about to level anything in its path. Maybe I was weak, or maybe I was just ready to finally have a woman of my own. But I was letting that beast consume me, welcoming it. I was letting it take charge.

  The next time Susie was up here she’d know exactly how much I wanted her.

  * * *

  Susie

  I grabbed the two coffees from the barista and headed over to the small table in the corner. I glanced over at my best friend, Sherry, who’d gotten the nickname Cherry in high school due to her obsession with the fruit. She was already sitting down, her smart phone in hand, her eyes wide as she no doubt read one of her latest romance books. I sat down and set the cup in front of her, but she was oblivious to my presence.

  For a few moments, I found humor in watching her read, knowing that she was probably on one of the juicy parts if she wasn’t even taking her focus off the screen. Leaning back in the chair, I brought my cup to my mouth and took a long drink of the vanilla chai late.

  We lived in a pretty backwoods town, the population small and intimate, but our coffee shop was pretty damn incredible. It wasn’t one of those chain stores with the fancy drinks that took you thirty seconds to rattle off. It was a mom-and-pop coffee shop that sold homemade pastries along with specialty drinks.

  And the vanilla chai latte was probably the fanciest one they had.

  It was also heaven in a glass, an addictive ambrosia that I seemed to get daily with no guilt.

  I glanced around the coffee shop, three other tables filled. One of them had Mr. Kingsley, a forty-five year old bachelor who also happened to be the twelfth grade English teacher at our local high school. He sat behind his ancient laptop, no doubt grading papers, his black rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He had this scowl on his face, then he shook his head and muttered something to himself as he typed away on his computer.

  Then there were Bret and Harper, newlyweds who were expecting their first child. It had been a shotgun wedding due to Harper’s father, the town pastor, pulling it all together once he realized she was knocked up out of wedlock.

  That had been the talk of the town for the last month.

  Then there was the last table, which made me a little sad as I stared at Mrs. Sorrows. Even her last name was ironic, given her situation. She’d not only lost her husband two years ago, but she’d also recently lost her only child to a car accident. To say the town mourned for her and her family was an understatement.

  “I go over there every other weekend to have lunch with her.”

  I looked over at Cherry and gave her this sad smile. She’d since put down her phone and was staring at Mrs. Sorrows.

  “I’ve gone over there a few times since she lost Frankie, but she never really says much and instead keeps giving me baked goods to take home.”

  Cherry nodded and picked up her coffee, leaning back in her seat. “Yeah, I think that’s how she copes … baking stuff and giving it to people.” Cherry took a long drink of her coffee before setting the cup on the table and exhaling. “I can’t even imagine.”

  I shook my head. “Me either.”

  We sat in silence for a long moment, not sure what to say, or maybe just reflecting on how lucky we really were. “How’s school?” I finally broke the silence to ask Cherry about her last semester of college.

  She shrugged. “It’s going. I’ll be glad when it’s finally over, but then I have the hassle of finding a job, which won’t be in this podunk town.”

  I knew Cherry didn’t want to stay in our picturesque little mountain retreat of a town. Hell, I didn’t even know why I did.

  Yes I do. Bear.

  Well, it wasn’t just because of him, although my love for that man could have moved oceans.

  I don’t know how long I sat there, staring off as I thought about Bear, imagining telling him how I felt, just throwing caution to the wind and saying fuck it.

  “What’s on your mind?” Cherry asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.

  I glanced up at her and blinked a few times, clearing my vision. She looked at me with this expression that told me she already knew the answer.

  “Nothing,” I said, but the lie sounded obvious.

  “Nothing?” She lifted an arched eyebrow, the expression on her face telling me she didn’t believe one word of it. “This about Bear?”

  I cleared my throat and glanced away. I didn’t know why I was so nervous talking about him, especially with Cherry.

  “You know you can talk to me about whatever, right?”

  I knew I could. She didn’t push, but I didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to bare my soul, so to speak.

  “Why don’t you just tell him how you feel?” she finally said after a prolonged moment. I looked up at her, knowing my eyes were wide, feeling like they were saucers.

  I probably looked like a deer caught in headlights. It was no surprise that she guessed what was on my mind. She was pretty good at reading people, especially me.

  I exhaled and leaned back in my chair, holding my coffee cup and running my finger along the rim. “Because the risk of him turning me down and breaking my heart scares the hell out of me.”

  She looked sympathetic but then this steely resolve covered her face. “Even if he did turn you down, even if it did go that way when you were honest with him, you’re a tough girl and can handle it. I know you would regret not saying anything, wondering what his reaction would have been.” She gave me a soft smile. “But I doubt he’ll turn you down, much less break your heart. How could he? You’re gorgeous and sweet. He’d be stupid to break your heart.” She exhaled. “Besides, I’d kick his ass if he made you sad.”

  I chuckled, knowing Cherry meant that.

  “I guess I’ve been trying to talk myself into telling him how I feel. I go out there every month, sometimes see him, sometimes say a few words here and there. I swear the man doesn’t even know I exist. He hardly looks at me, and if he does speak to me it’s just one-word answers that sound more like grunts coming f
rom a wild animal.”

  Cherry chuckled softly, but the space between us became solemn as time passed.

  “He’s a definite mystery,” Cherry said, staring at her coffee mug. “But you know why he’s like that. You know why he stays by himself.” She looked at me and I felt my heart lurch in my chest.

  Looking at my coffee cup, I nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

  “I mean, losing his mother, the only family he had left, scars a person, I imagine.”

  I thought about when he’d first moved to town all those years ago. I’d been a young girl, hearing the rumors about the newcomer who’d bought the cabin and piece of land out in the middle of nowhere.

  The rumors were cut and dry, that Bear had lost his mother and moved out here to be alone. And he’d succeeded in that for years.

  “Loss creates scars that run deep. He just needs to find that spark of life again.” She reached out and gripped my hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. “As soon as you say the words to him, when he looks in your eyes and sees what he’s been missing, everything will click into place.”

  “I’m glad one of us is so confident.” I smiled, but it was forced. Deep down I was a nervous wreck thinking about all the bad things that would come from me spouting off the truth. But despite that, I knew I’d push past my worries.

  I’d tell Bear everything, consequences or not.

  3

  Bear

  I sat on the oversized leather chair in Wolf’s cabin and stared at him and his wife Ruby as they went heavy on the PDA in the kitchen. I scrubbed a hand over the back of my neck and looked away when Wolf’s hand slid down to cover her ass, and he leaned in to kiss her.