Her Big Bad Polar Bear (4 page)

Chapter 7

Cosmo stalked the small cabin for hours. His bear wanted to be near Andy for some reason. It was crazy. It was around four AM when he finally headed back to his own cabin to get some rest. He had to come back anyway to take her for groceries.

He walked into his two-story cabin and headed upstairs. He and his brothers had built most of the cabins on their land. The cabins were used by his family, his bear clan, and visiting shifters.

His day had started out like crap, since he had to deal with irritating customers and ended with his bear mooning over a human woman. The thought of Andy brought up an image. She had still been damp from the shower, and her T-shirt clung to her beautifully shaped breasts. He wanted to suckle on her so bad. It took all his effort to keep his bear in control during dinner, but he could not get her out of his head the rest of the night.

Cosmo stood inside the shower stall, letting the warm water cascade over his body. He closed his eyes, picturing Andy’s long, dark hair wrapped in his hand. He would hold her head at an angle so that he had access to her neck, then take her from behind, entering her tight channel. His large hand gripped his cock and started pumping, mimicking how he imagined he would move inside of her.

He could hear her voice as she called out his name with the release of her passion. He stroked himself a few more times and his seed shot out, hitting the shower stall wall. “Fuck!”

Cosmo wondered what had come over him. Why was he becoming obsessed with the little human? Normally, if he wanted a night of hot, meaningless sex, he would go for Miss Lee’s type. The hot blonde was built for that kind of thing, and he could tell with her open flirtation that she would not expect more from him than a few rounds in bed. Andy was a different type of woman altogether.

Andy was beautiful and sexy in a more subdued manner, but she was the type of woman that a man married and had children with. Women like Andy took sex seriously and would form attachments. Cosmo wasn’t sure he was ready to settle down and even if he was, it would have to be with another shifter, preferably a polar bear shifter. He couldn’t allow himself to get involved with the pretty brunette. He needed to pull back from being around the woman so that he didn’t give her the wrong impression.

He dried off and walked naked into his bedroom where he’d left his cell phone. He picked it up and dialed Ivan, who answered on the third ring.

“This had better be good!”

“Sorry for waking you so early. I need you to help me out.”

“Fine. What is it?”

“I had to put one of the new arrivals, a human researcher, in cabin twelve at Miracle Lake.”

“What the hell? We’re supposed to keep humans away from our clan, not invite them to come live with us! Get rid of him.”

“It’s a woman. Her name is Andy Johnson. She shouldn’t be much trouble. I am supposed to go out there this morning to help her get her groceries for the cabin, and then I was going to train her on how to operate the snowmobile so that she could get around town.”

“So what do you want me for?”

“I just got in like thirty minutes ago and haven’t had any sleep at all.”

“Aw…you went out and got you some. Good for you, brother. Who was the lucky she-bear to receive your lovin’?”

“It wasn’t...never mind. I need for you to help Andy in my place.”

“Fine, but you’ll owe me one.”

“Thanks, Ivan. Let me know if you have any problems.”

“It’s a human woman. How much trouble could she be?” Ivan asked, hanging up.

Cosmo should have felt relieved shifting Andy off onto his brother. His inner bear was trying to break out, wanting to seek out and keep other males from being around Andy. What if she liked Ivan better than him? He and his brother had dated the same girls before. It never bothered him before, but the thought of Ivan touching Andy, tasting her, making love to her tore him up inside. Women found Ivan quiet and aloof, which they seemed to be drawn to. Maybe Andy would fall for Ivan. What had he done?

*****

Andy heard a knock and rushed to the cabin door, anxious to see Cosmo again. He had invaded her dreams all night. Images of him naked and over her had her waking with an ache deep inside. She was nervous and excited about seeing him again. She opened the door with a smile on her face.

“Good morning!” She looked up into his black eyes. He was gorgeous as usual in a dark blue sweater and jeans. His short blond hair seemed a little longer today, but he was still as handsome as before. He stood there like a sun god. There was something different about him, but she couldn’t pinpoint it.

“Let’s go. I have a busy day today.” His voice was gruff.

“Okay, let me get my purse and coat.” She grabbed her things and quickly walked to the door. He didn’t say anything at all as they got into his truck. She looked at it, thinking that it didn’t look the same as it did yesterday. “Did you get a new truck?”

“No.” His answer was brisk.

“Are you okay?”

“Just trying to get this over, so I can do my real job.”

“Sorry.” At first she felt bad about taking up his time but as they continued on the road to town, she became angrier and angrier over his rude attitude. None of this was her fault. He pulled up in front of the local grocery store. She got out and didn’t wait for him. She stormed inside the building. He caught up with her in a few long strides.

“Slow down or you’ll knock someone over,” he called out behind her.

She had enough of this shit. She turned around and pointed her finger at him. “You know what? I don’t need your help. Go away!”

He looked at her a little surprised. “I’m supposed to help you take your groceries back and show you how to use a snowmobile.”

“I relieve you of your duty. You are not responsible for me.”

“How will you get back to the cabin?”

“I’m sure I can find someone—anyone—in this town that will show me more courtesy than you have. You’re an asshole!”

“What is going on over here?” The elderly lady, Mrs. Fielding, asked, coming down the aisle they were standing in.

Andy blushed at having been caught losing her temper. She was about to apologize for yelling in a public place, but the old woman was staring at Cosmo.

“Ivan Vedar, are you harassing this poor young woman?”

Chapter 8

Ivan?
Andy looked between the man and the old lady in confusion. Ivan was Cosmo’s twin brother. He called and had his twin brother take over helping her instead of helping her himself. He didn’t want anything to do with her. She felt a sharp pain in her heart and had to fight not to burst into tears. She should have known that someone as hot as Cosmo wouldn’t be attracted to her.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Fielding. Ivan was nice enough to bring me to town to get some groceries for the cabin. I was letting him know that I can find other transportation back so he could get to work.”

Ivan looked shocked that she was defending him. She should be angry at him for not letting her know right away that he wasn’t Cosmo, but it was Cosmo’s fault that he was here bearing the brunt of the awkwardness, not his.

“Well, are you sure everything’s okay?” Mrs. Fielding didn’t look like she totally believed her.

“Yes. I’ll get some groceries and stop by the bed and breakfast to check in with my colleagues. Then I’ll find transportation back to the cabin.”

“I have a car in the garage I never use. It used to be my late husband’s. You can use it to get around instead of the snowmobile.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Fielding. I appreciate that.”

Mrs. Fielding turned to Ivan and sighed. “I’m sorry, Ivan. I know you’re a good boy; you’ve just gotten a bit rough around the edges. What you need is to find a mate to soften you a little. Tell your mother I said hello when you see her on Sunday.”

“I will, Mrs. Fielding.” Ivan’s tone softened considerably as he looked down at the elderly woman. That look was so similar to the one Cosmo had for his sister. It touched Andy a little and made her anger with Ivan lessen.

Andy took her basket and started down the aisle. Ivan caught up with her. “I’m sorry for my attitude. I was rude, and that was uncalled for.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything. She was waiting for him to continue. After a few minutes of silence, Andy asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t Cosmo? You knew that I had assumed that you were.”

Ivan shrugged. “I didn’t think it would matter. You just met yesterday and I was only helping him out this morning so he could get some rest.”

She stopped and was feeling concerned. “Is he sick or hurt? Why would he need to rest late in the morning?”

“He’s not sick, just tired from boning some chick last night.”

Andy flinched. Cosmo had left her and went out to have sex with some other woman. Was it Rhonda? Damn it! Just when she started to like the guy, he turned out to be just another asshole. It hurt, and it also hurt to look at Ivan and see Cosmo.

“You can go. I’ll be going over to Mrs. Fielding's and using her car. I appreciate you bringing me to town.” She tried to hide the hurt in her voice.

“Are you okay? I really am sorry for being a jerk. I don’t know why Cosmo chose me knowing I am the most unsocial of our entire clan...family.”

Andy should be furious with him, but watching him with Mrs. Fielding softened her toward him. She reached out a hand to touch his arm gently. “I’m fine. I have a lot of work to do and you need to get back to your job as well.”

Ivan looked at her hand that was on his arm and back up at her with a strange expression on his face. “I could still help you learn to use the snowmobile. It’s the best way to travel over the frozen lakes to areas you might be researching.”

She wanted to say no, but being able to move around and do exploring on her own would be great. “I would appreciate it. Come out later this afternoon if it’s convenient.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Thanks again for your help, Ivan.” She turned and walked away. She could feel his eyes following her but didn’t look back. She wanted to get as far from Cosmo and his twin as possible. She pushed down the feelings of inadequacy and humiliation. Cosmo threw her to his brother like she was a used pair of old sneakers. Well, she didn’t need him.

*****

Cosmo sat in the dining room of the bed and breakfast where Mrs. Fielding set up a buffet spread of breakfast food for her customers. He just planned on stopping in to make sure that there weren’t any more issues with the newcomers before heading out, but Mrs. Fielding invited him to stay, saying that Andy was coming over when she finished with the grocery shopping. He wanted to see her again.

The moment he walked in Miss Lee was stuck to him like glue. Any other time before, he would have been thrilled with her attention and taken her up on her very obvious offer to have sex. For some reason, the blonde didn’t appeal to him or his bear. If he hadn’t jerked off this morning to images of Andy, he might think something was wrong with him.

“So, could I get a private guide tour of the ice lakes?” Miss Lee asked, running her finger up and down his hand, which was sitting on the table.

“We’ve created a schedule for when and where we will be taking all of you out. We have to make sure the weather is good and the lake is safe.” He turned to Mrs. Fielding. “When did Andy...Miss Johnson say she’d be by here?”

“She didn’t say. She was starting to get her groceries. It’s been about forty minutes, though. Maybe she had Ivan take her back to the cabin after all. He seemed to like her.”

What? Ivan didn’t like anyone. That was the reason he chose Ivan to take Andy in the first place. His other brothers would have flirted with her. Luka, his youngest brother, had dimples which the females seemed to find extremely attractive. The thought of Ivan touching Andy had him getting ready to stand and leave.

“Oh, she’s here. Hi, Andy, dear! We’re in the dining room. Come and grab you something to eat before you go back to the cabin.” Mrs. Fielding waved for her to come to the dining room.

Cosmo looked up and his eyes locked with Andy’s and it was like he was hit in the head with a frying pan.
Mate! My mate!
Andy was his mate. His bear was at full attention and so was his cock. “Hi.”

She nodded at him and walked past to get a plate.
What the hell just happened?

Chapter 9

Andy was shaking as she scooped the scrambled eggs onto her plate. Cosmo was here. Why was he here? Maybe he had come to see Rhonda, start up what they had evidently done last night. It sure looked like it with Rhonda rubbing herself all over him. It hurt to know that after he left her, when she had been feeling like there was some kind of attraction between the two of them, he would go have sex with someone else. For it to have been Rhonda made her even more hurt and angry. 

She stomped her way over to the large dining table as far away from Cosmo and Rhonda as she could get. She didn’t look up when Denny moved to sit next to her.

“How is the cabin? I would have offered to take your place, but I needed to stay where there is Internet connection so that I can use my computer,” Denny told her.

She swallowed her eggs and looked at him with a smile. “The cabin has Internet. It’s actually quite luxurious. It has a chef’s dream kitchen, and a large bathroom with a jetted bathtub. The front porch overlooks a beautiful frozen lake. I’m looking forward to relaxing with a bath and some wine tonight.”

“Wow. Sounds nice. Maybe I can come by and enjoy it all with you.” Denny winked at her.

A rumbling from across the table had Andy looking over at Cosmo. His eyes were pure black and he looked furious. What was his problem?

“What do you think, Andy?” Denny asked, bringing her attention back to him.

“What do I think about what?”

“Me coming over to the cabin tonight and spending time with you.”

She leaned forward and whispered, “That’s not a good idea. We are working together and need to remain professional.”

Denny reached out and stroked Andy’s shoulder. “Come on. It’ll be like old times. Us working together didn’t stop us from dating in the past.”

Dating? They’d had one fucking date, and that was it. “The answer is no.”

Denny lowered his hand and turned from trying to seduce her to cold and harsh. “Since you’re so interested in work, I left notes for you to research for me on the front desk. I need it by tomorrow.”

“I don’t work for you, Denny.”

“I’m the lead researcher here, so in a way, you do.” Denny stood up without throwing out his trash and placing his dishes in the dirty dishes bin. She sighed, taking hers and his to the bin.

“You’re not leaving so soon, are you?” Mrs. Fielding asked walking up to her, handing her the key to the car in the garage.

“I am. I left the groceries outside since it was cold enough nothing would go bad. Unfortunately, I have a lot of work I need to get started on.” She walked to the front room and picked up the stack of notes that Denny left for her. She went out the front and realized she was going to have to make a second trip for her groceries because the stack of notes was huge.

“Let me help you.”

Andy turned to find Cosmo standing right behind her. She wasn’t ready to talk to him yet, but she did need help. “Thank you.” She walked around the side of the two-story Victorian house and went to the detached garage. The keychain had a button for the automatic door to the garage. It opened, and the only car inside was a small red Toyota Corolla. It wasn’t the typical car a man would drive. Cosmo seemed to know what she was thinking.

“This is actually Mrs. Fielding’s car. When her husband passed away a few years ago, she started driving his truck.”

“Oh.” That was sad and sweet at the same time. She opened the car’s trunk so Cosmo could place the groceries inside.

“How did you get all these bags to Mrs. Fielding’s?”

“One of the stock boys, Jason, helped me carry them. He was really sweet.” She was startled when he slammed the trunk lid down so hard the whole car shook.

“Did he flirt with you?”

“No, of course not. He’s only fifteen years old.” She opened the door to the backseat to put the stack of folders on the floorboard. She then went to get into the driver’s seat, but Cosmo was blocking the door by leaning against it.

“I’ll come by later to show you how to use the snowmobile.”

“No need. Ivan will help me.” She motioned for him to move out of her way, then opened the door and drove away. She could see him lift his cell phone up to his ear. No doubt he was calling Ivan to thank him for getting her off his hands. Well, good riddance! She wasn’t here for Cosmo or his brother. She came her to do a job and she was determined to do it.

*****

“What the hell did you do?” Cosmo yelled over the phone.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ivan answered.

“Andy barely looked at me, and she said you were teaching her how to use the snowmobile.”

“That’s what you asked me to do. Take over helping her with groceries and I offered with the snowmobile. Why do you care? You dumped her on me without a second glance.”

“I wasn’t dumping her on you.” Damn, he was lying. He
had
dumped Andy on his brother. “I don’t understand why she was so...different. She looked hurt and angry.”

“I guess she was still a little upset over the misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding?”

“I didn’t introduce myself when I showed up this morning and she thought I was you.”

“She thought you were me?”

“Yeah. She didn’t find out the truth until a little bit ago when we ran into Mrs. Fielding at the grocery store. She was pretty upset at first, but I apologized and she seemed okay when I left. I told her I would come by this afternoon to help her learn how to drive the snowmobile. I’ll apologize to her again and try to make it up to her. She seems to be a sweet woman. I like her.”

This had gone beyond what he had intended. Cosmo only wanted to distance himself from Andy to get control of his feelings. He never intended for Andy to get hurt. What the hell does Ivan mean that he likes her? He doesn’t like anyone but family.

“No, I’ll teach her how to drive the snowmobile and apologize for both of us. Stay away from her.” He hung up the phone and stuffed it in his back pocket. His bear wanted to go after their mate right at that moment, but he wanted to give her some time to calm down from her anger. He also had some things to do at work to clear his schedule for the rest of the day.

He also needed to talk to his mother about this human mate thing. It wasn’t unheard of for shifters to mate with humans, but not polar bear shifters. His people always kept to their clans; they rarely mingle with inter-species. Protecting their shifter secrets from humans was their top priority. If a shifter mated with a human, that human would have knowledge of things no other human had. That might cause some issues with his people, especially since he was Alpha.