Cole: Black Bear Outlaws #3 (Mating Fever)

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Cole: Black Bear Outlaws | (Mating Fever) | Book 3

Chapter 1 | Amberly

Chapter 2 | Cole

Chapter 3 | Amberly

Chapter 4 | Cole

Chapter 5 | Amberly

Chapter 6 | Cole

Chapter 7 | Amberly

Chapter 8 | Cole

Chapter 9 | Amberly

Meet the Rest of the Mating Fever Clans:

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H
e’s a man in danger of losing his self control... 

Cole Doucet has a job to do. Protect the starlet at any cost. But who’s going to protect her from him? 

She’s a woman in danger of losing her heart... 

After a crazed stalker forces Amberly Matthews to leave Hollywood and her life in the public eye, she counts down the days until she can be back on the set. But when trouble follows her to Bayou Basin, she’s once again thrust into danger—and the arms of Cole Doucet.

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B
ook 1: Cyrus: Black Bear Outlaws

Book 2: Chase: Black Bear Outlaws

F
lowers. They were everywhere. The flats of petunias, bluebells, and daisies lined my old wooden deck. Hibiscus and lantana pots sat scattered around the footpaths, and a variety of hanging baskets waited to be hung. It looked like a rainbow had vomited color all over my barren backyard.

Being stuck in Bayou Basin was hell. After four days of avoiding the neighbors, the television, and the internet, I’d needed something to do...something that wasn’t Cole Doucet. It’d been four days since I’d hired the bodyguard. And four sleepless nights knowing he was down the hall in my guest room. He was classically handsome, and if one didn’t look closely, she might think he was just another pretty boy. But underneath, there was a dark edge. One I couldn’t help but want to explore.

“Where do you want these?”

His voice jolted me and I spun, finding him carting yet another flat of petunias. He’d driven me to the nursery this morning and insisted he be the one to carry them all from the truck to the backyard. He didn’t want me out front. The less anyone saw of me, the better.

“Anywhere in the shade,” I said, sweeping my gaze over him. Hells bells. He wore faded blue jeans slung low on his hips, old leather work boots, and a sweaty white T-shirt that did nothing to hide his eight-pack abs. “I probably won’t get to them until this afternoon. Thanks for the help. I guess you’re free for Nascar or football or whatever sport you can find on ESPN.”

He scoffed. “You think I’m going to go inside and leave you with all this?” Waving a hand around the backyard, he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “You’ll be out here for three days.”

“Well...” I started and averted my gaze. He was too damned good looking. Staring at him was short-circuiting my brain. “I doubt anyone is going to be scaling my wall, but if you want to stay out in this heat—”

“Amberly,” he said with a touch of irritation.

“What? I know I’m paying you to protect me, but this isn’t the Secret Service. I’m sure I can plant some flowers in my own backyard for a few hours without your supervision.” The fact that I was a bear shifter meant not much scared me. I could take care of myself. But back in Los Angeles, I wouldn’t have said such a thing.

Not after I’d been targeted.

Three things happened in the span of one week: A black SUV with dark tinted windows nearly ran me off the road; a bomb threat with my name attached to it occurred at a filming site; and someone sprayed my Hollywood Hills home with half a dozen bullets. I wasn’t there at the time of the shooting, but I should’ve been. I’d been late getting home because I’d stopped off for coffee last minute with my agent to discuss a new offer.

Being a bear couldn’t protect me from car wrecks, bombs, or bullets. So two days later, I left Hollywood for Bayou Basin while the authorities in L.A. worked my case. No one knew where I was except my agent, a private investigator in Los Angeles who I’d employed to investigate the matter if the LAPD dropped the ball, and the Doucet family who were now in charge of my personal safety.

“You and I both know I’m not going to leave you out here by yourself,” Cole said, still holding the flat of flowers. “Aside from the potential threat of someone scaling your fortress, I’m not going to just sit around while you do all this work.”

Fortress. I snorted. At one time, the old Victorian had a gorgeous rock wall that enclosed the gardens. Now the wall was stained with mold and dirt from recently-stripped overgrown vegetation. Not exactly gorgeous after twenty years of neglect. “Suit yourself.” I nodded to the freshly-tilled flower bed on the other side of the yard. “I was going to put the petunias over there.”

“Got it.” He grabbed a trowel and left me in peace with my dirt. And my thoughts. My dirty, dirty thoughts.

What else was I going to do in Nowheresville, Louisiana? No one even recognized me around town. Though admittedly, I had done my best to de-glam and fit in. Capri pants, old faded T-shirt, sneakers, and an LSU cap and sunglasses had become my wardrobe of choice. The hair extensions had been left back in L.A. along with most of my designer shoes and handbags.

“Amberly?” Cole called.

His deep, growly voice sent a shiver through my body despite the already-suffocating heat. “Yeah?” I said without turning to look at him.

“You have dirt on your ass.”

The idea that he was checking me out had me smiling as pleasure coiled in my belly. And before I could stop myself, I called back, “So? Be a gentleman and wipe it off.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment before I heard his light footsteps on the brick path.

I stopped digging and waited, knowing he was right behind me. My heart sped up as I anticipated him touching me.

But instead, his shadow shaded me as he leaned over, brushed his fingers over my cheek, and whispered, “You have a smudge here, too.”

I turned, meeting his smoldering gaze. My mouth went dry and I unconsciously licked my lips.

His gaze flickered to my mouth and I swear I stopped breathing altogether.

Holy fireballs. If he kept devouring me with his gaze, I was going to combust right then and there.

“Here.” His lips twisted into a cocky knowing smile as he handed me a white handkerchief. All of the Doucet men knew they were handsome. Cole was no exception.

I cleared my throat as I dabbed at my face, certain I was only smearing more dirt around. “Thank you.”

“Sure. But I’m still available if you want me to grab your ass,” he teased.

I sat back on my heels and smirked. “You need to work on your lines.”

He swept his gaze over me once more, lingering briefly on my lips before meeting my eyes again. “I think I’m doing okay.” Then he winked and strode back over to the other side of the yard.

Holy mother. I was no stranger to good looking men. Hollywood was ripe with them. But none were so...rugged. Or attentive. Or, damn, so real. I had half a mind to follow him and then tug him inside and straight up to my bedroom. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise. We’d been doing this dance since I first walked into his office. The attraction had been instantaneous. The spark had sizzled between us with only a glance. And when we actually touched...

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Imagining his hands on me was dangerous. Everything came alive with want and need.

“Amberly?”

“Yes?” I asked, blushing furiously when I opened my eyes to see him studying me.

“Your phone is singing again.” He jerked his head toward the house.

Sure enough, the faint sound of the brand new Adele song filtered through the open window, indicating it was my agent. Everyone else except Cole had the standard ringtone. I stood, finally brushed the dirt off my ass, and ran into the house as I called over my shoulder, “Good catch.”

The phone was on the counter, flashing Lindy’s name at me.

“Hello?” I answered, slightly out of breath from my dash into the large house.

“Finally. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all morning. I was ready to call in the National Guard.” Lindy’s voice was tight with what I assumed was worry, though it sounded more like irritation. “What the hell have you been doing?”

“I was with Cole—”

“Ahh, I see, it’s not what, it’s who.” She chuckled into the phone. “In that case, I can hardly blame you.”

“I wasn’t
doing
Cole,” I said, just as he walked in through the back door, shirtless.  Holy God he was gorgeous.

He raised his eyebrows at my comment. Then he gave me his cocky grin again and half-shrugged as if to say such an arrangement could be made.

I narrowed my eyes and shook my head no while my skin heated and my body screamed
yes
.

“That’s too bad,” Lindy said. “Considering how hot it is down there, I figured y’all would already be half naked. And I gotta say, after your description of him, I can’t believe you haven’t just given him a taste yet.”

“Lindy,” I warned. “Let’s try to remain professional, shall we?”

Cole’s smile widened as if he’d heard what she’d said.

I turned my back on him, needing to put him out of my mind for this conversation. “Now, what’s going on with the studio? Do they have a date they want me back? Have you heard from the police? Any news at all?”

Lindy didn’t answer, but I knew she was still there. I could hear faint chatter on the other end of the line.

“Lindy?”

“Dammit,” she muttered. “I’m sorry, Amberly. There’s just no easy way to say this.”

A faint wave of fear rolled through me, but I clutched the phone harder and ignored it. I was safe here at my grandmama’s old house. Anything that was happening back in L.A. wasn’t the end of the world. “Just tell me. I can handle it.”

She let out a long sigh. “I tried. I really did. But the studio has decided they can’t hold up the filming. They’re resuming tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I spun and stared at the kitchen wall clock. It was already almost noon.  How the hell was I going to find a flight this late and still be at the set by seven the next morning? “Jesus. I have to go. I’ll text you with my flight information.”

I was just getting ready to hit the end button when I heard her call, “Amberly! Wait!”

“What? If I have any chance of getting there by—”

“You don’t understand,” she said, cutting me off. “I’m sorry. I should’ve spit it out sooner, but...”

My stomach was in knots. My agent was never hesitant about anything. It was the reason I’d hired her. No nonsense, just straight to the point...except now. “Lindy? Spit what out sooner?”

“Dammit,” she muttered. “It’s a shit situation. Charles is sick over this. No one wants to see you replaced, but—”

“Replaced!” She had to be joking. This movie had been my project. I was the only reason the damned thing was being made in the first place. I’d been the one to bring the book to the producer, had signed my name to it in order to get funding. “They can’t do that. I
am
Ceri.”

The book was a rags-to-riches story about a disadvantaged girl from the bayou. She overcame racism, lack of quality education, and an unstable homelife. That story mirrored my own so perfectly. My mother, while determined to make me a star, had suffered from Bipolar disorder. When she was up, she’d accomplished incredible things, but when she was down, life had been hell for both of us.

“You are,” Lindy agreed, her tone full of understanding. “But the lawyers are saying it’s too dangerous to bring you back right now. And the studio heads say they can’t delay production because of budget reasons. Amberly, no one wanted to make this call, but they have no choice.”

“I have a contract.” My words were clipped with anger. They couldn’t kick me off this project. I wouldn’t let them.

“You do. But that doesn’t mean they can’t replace you. You’ll still get paid your full fee, of course. Otherwise we’ll sue their asses.”

I didn’t give a shit about my fee. I’d made more than enough money on my recent movies to last a lifetime. This had been all about the work. “They can’t afford that. This movie will lose money.”

“They seem to think they’ll lose more if they wait. I heard the replacement actress is willing to work for a fraction of your salary.”