Theirs (The Bears)

  Evernight Publishing

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2013 Hazel Gower

  ISBN: 978-1-77130-279-1

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: Cheryl Harper

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  Thanks to my wonderful family for all your love and support. I would like to give a huge shout out to my friends Khloe Wren, Angela Castle, and Imogene Nix, I appreciate all your advice and help.

  THEIRS

  The Bears, 1

  Hazel Gower

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  “Ahhh. Ohhhh. Come on. Please!” Susie wiggled her bottom on the bed and leaned further back. “Just a little bit more. You can do it. Breathe. Argh. Almost got it.” Holding her breath, she laid all the way back on the bed. “Yes, yes.” Lying dead still, too scared to take even a tiny breath, Susie glanced around her bedroom. “Oh, please be close.” The magical item she hoped would help hold her all in sat on the solid oak dressing table at the end of her bed. “Crap!”

  Groaning she sucked her stomach in as much as possible and slowly moved down the bed. She sighed in relief when she’d reached the edge with most of her legs dangling off, and everything stayed in place. Susie breathed out in relief only to hear pop. “Fuck.” She moaned, stood up, and walked back over to her cupboard to search for something, anything she could fit into.

  An hour later she sat on the foot of her bed and stared at her reflection in the dressing table’s mirror while she watched tears run down her cheeks. Sobs kept escaping her tight throat. “I refuse to buy size eighteen pants.” Wiping her eyes she looked down at her stomach. “I will get rid of you. I am not giving in this time like I did when I needed to buy size sixteen clothes.”

  Straightening her shoulders, she looked herself in the eye. “Susan Ellen Sanden, you will put your track pants on right now and go join a gym. Once at the gym, you will use your savings to pay for a personal trainer.”

  Her reflection glared back, reluctant to spend her hard earned savings. Susie glanced down at her belly again, gritted her teeth, got up, and put her track pants on. Turning back to her mirror with a grin, she grabbed the bed sheet and draped it over her vanity mirror. “I will not be seeing you again until I reach my goal weight. Size ten here I come.”

  ****

  Standing in front of Healthy Bodies, Susie debated with herself about whether she should really do this. Maybe she should do dancing again, or netball. Who was she kidding? She hadn’t danced in four years, and the last time she played netball was even longer. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the hem of her shirt down, making sure it covered the reason she had come here, and walked through the doors.

  It wasn’t as bad as she thought. The whole time she’d driven over to the gym, she’d pictured skinny, muscular, and beautiful people all enjoying themselves, never sweating or panting, and definitely with no flabby bits falling out of their clothes or wobbling around. Susie was nicely surprized to see it wasn’t the case. Oh, sure, there was a gorgeous blonde, big boobed, toned woman here or there, and a muscle-clad stud or two, but mostly she saw a variety of shapes and sizes.

  Walking to the reception desk where a pretty brunette sat typing on a computer, Susie waited patiently for acknowledgement. The woman looked up from her screen. Smiling she said, “Good morning. How can I help you?”

  Susie gave her what she hoped passed for a smile, took a deep breath, and answered, “Hi, I’m looking to become a member.”

  The lady stood and her smile got bigger. She looked Susie up and down, and Susie swore dollar signs flashed in her eyes before she went on. “Welcome to Healthy Bodies. I’m Gwen. Come in to one of our rooms and we’ll have a chat, so we can find out what type of membership is right for you.”

  They walked behind the reception desk and into a room with a table, a filing cabinet, and a computer. The plain white walls were sparsely decorated with only two posters, one a food pyramid, and the other displaying the beauty of the female and male forms.

  Gwen sat down behind the desk and gestured for Susie to sit in one of the two seats on the opposite side. Once Susie sat, Gwen typed some things on the computer then looked up and focused on Susie. “Do you have an idea of what you’re aiming for? For example, how many times a week will you come in? Is your goal general fitness or to lose weight? Did you want to join a class or have a personal trainer?”

  Susie stared at Gwen, overwhelmed by her rapid-shot questions. “Um, ah,”

  Gwen’s eyes softened. “Would you like to just navigate the waters by yourself? I’m only asking you these things so I know what type of membership would suit you best, not to make you feel uncomfortable.”

  “I don’t know. I think I’m going to need to talk to a nutritionist because I’m not fond of fruit or really any health stuff as snacks. I’m doing this…” Susie took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she heard a knock on the partially opened door.

  The words on the tip of her tongue died as she stared at what at least ninety percent of the female population, and probably half the male, would consider their fantasy man. Tall, she guessed well over six feet, with blue eyes clearer than the sky on a cloud-free summer day. He had olive skin, thick jet black hair, and a good amount of stubble covered his jaw. Sparkling, perfect white teeth and thick, full lips completed his perfectly masculine face. Susie glanced down his body, gulping when she saw that, instead of covering his perfectly sculptured chest, his shirt hung from his waist, part of it shoved through a belt loop. Oh God, what a six pack. Shower scenes of water dripping down his washboard chest, and her licking every drop until he was dry flashed through her mind. A groan slipped by, and he grinned down at her. Oh, great. Just what she needed, a crush on someone who worked here.

  ****

  Finished up for the day, Brian searched for his sister to let her know he was leaving. Feeling fresh and relaxed from his shower, he couldn’t wait to get home and put his feet up. He liked nothing better than enjoying a nice cold beer while watching the Friday night footy. He’d been up since four-thirty that morning, as it had been his turn to open up the gym.

  Friday night was his veg-out night, the one night of the week where he sat on the lounge and ate junk food, ignored his brothers, drank beer, and caught up on the football. He needed his Friday nights to chill out, as he was always his busiest on the weekends.

  Finding his sister in one of the offices with the door only slightly open, he realised she must be in there with a new client. He debated on whether or not to disturb her. But he knew she would be pissed if he didn’t tell her he was heading off and she’d needed him for something. One thing he learnt at a young age was never anger a female bear. Tapping on the door, he opened it to see his sister, Gwen, sitting behind her desk talking to a woman who sat in the opposite chair. The woman’s mouth opened as she started to answer a question, but then she turned and looked at him and froze. Brian bit his cheek to stop his chuckle from escaping as the lady’s chocolate brown eyes widened, her face turned a gorgeous shade of pink, and a groan slipped out.

  His sister shook her head at him, which usually meant for him to shut up and leave, but for some crazy reason he stepped into the room, pushing the door behind him so it almost shut. The woman sunk back into he
r chair as a whimper escaped and the rest of her skin joined her cheeks in turning a lovely shade of pink. Oh, she was adorable. Cocking his head to the side as that odd thought ran through his mind, he moved to get a better look at the woman, but with her hunched back in the chair away from him he couldn’t, not without being blatantly obvious. He joined his sister on the other side of the desk.

  Gwen turned and gave him a sharp glare before she said, “Susie, I would like you to meet my brother Brian. Brian is one of our best personal trainers.”

  Susie nodded her head, and he barely caught the quiet “hello” slipping from her lips. Brian noticed their new client’s eyes had yet to leave him. He smirked to himself as he straightened his shoulders, glad he’d just showered and hadn’t put his shirt on yet. When he took a deep breath in, the smells of honey and his favourite fruits assaulted his senses. He enjoyed the heavenly scent as he talked to his sister.

  “Sorry to interrupt. I wanted to let you know I’m heading head home for the day. Is there anything you need me to do before I go?” As he spoke to Gwen, his eyes never left Susie’s. Brian was puzzled because she wasn’t model material by any means, and he couldn’t understand the feelings he had as soon as he saw her. He’d never been interested in someone who wasn’t an absolutely gorgeous front cover model. If someone asked him to describe Susie in one word, it would be…cute. Not that she wasn’t beautiful, he told himself, because he thought she was with the messy bun on her head that couldn’t seem to contain her thick brown hair and her small dainty nose with its couple of freckles. That wasn’t what held him captive though. It was her eyes. They seemed to show her every emotion. Brian had seen brown eyes many times before, but these were like a light melted chocolate, and they drew him in.

  Gwen kicked his foot, and he shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the woman that consumed his thoughts. His sister smiled at Susie then turned her attention back to him. “If you could just wait…” Another knock interrupted Gwen before Brent opened the door. Brian growled when Brent’s eyes fell on Susie, and Brent paused by the door.

  “Sorry to disturb you, but Funtime Day Care just called to let you know Matty’s sick, so they need you or someone to come and pick him up.”

  Gwen nodded to Brent, who nodded back and walked away. Brian smiled as he suddenly thought of the perfect excuse to spend more time with Susie. “You go, Gwen. I’ll finish up here.”

  She grimaced at him then turned to Susie. “I’m so sorry. Would you mind terribly if Brian finished signing you up?”

  A sympathetic smile graced Susie’s face and he froze as she spoke in musical tones. “Don’t apologise. Go to your son. Family should be your first priority. I’m a childcare worker, so I know kids want their mums when they get sick.” Susie stood up from her seat and smiled, and Brian swore his whole world got brighter. Perfect, white, shiny teeth, a dimple on each cheek, and oh, her brown eyes sparkled. “How about I just come back tomorrow?”

  “No, no, I can look after you.” The words came out of his mouth before he even released he’d intended to say anything. She glanced his way and her smile slipped. She looked him up and down. He straightened to his full six-five and relaxed his face, as he’d been told regularly his face could be too serious, and he didn’t want to ever scare his mate. As the word “mate” resonated through his mind, his lips curled up into a huge grin. Susie was his mate. Well, that explained why he was attracted to her. He was one of the lucky few shifters who found their true mate. Many shifters didn’t find their true mate. Only a little over half did, so many settled for a shifter of their own kind as it was the only way they could have children. Most waited for their true mate, the one who was their other half, their soul mate. He loved Matty, but to have one or a couple of children of his own would be nice. He’d always said he would never give in to his mother like his sister Gwen, and mate someone who wasn’t his true mate. Brian and his brothers all felt the same after seeing how unhappy his sister was.

  His sister raised an eyebrow at him, shrugged, and turned back to Susie. “If it’s okay with you, my brother can sign you up. He knows the drill.”

  Susie hesitated, nodded, and sat back down again. His sister kissed his cheek, and then moved so she hovered over his ear and whispered, “I’ll call you later.” Before Gwen walked out to collect her stuff from their office upstairs, she paused at the door. “It’s nice to meet you, Susie. I look forward to seeing you again, and thanks for understanding.” Susie nodded to Gwen before she walked away.

  Sitting down in the seat his sister vacated, Brian looked at the screen to see the start-up survey to determine what type of membership fit a person best was blank. Clearing his suddenly dry throat, he stared at the face now studying him. “So, where was my sister up to with you?”

  The pink covered her cheeks again as she answered. “We’d just started. Gwen asked me what type of membership I wanted. Um, I would like a personal trainer to help me keep my goals and reach my goal weight. Maybe a Zumba class twice a week as well.”

  He nodded. “Okay, so what’s your main goal? What do you want to gain from coming to our gym? From what you just said, you have a goal weight. How long have you given yourself to reach your goal weight?” Thinking about it, he wouldn’t mind having something to hold on to while he loved his woman for a change. His brother always told him the reason he only slept with women once was because he wasn’t going for the right type of woman for a big healthy shifter.

  Her brows furrowed for a moment, before she answered, “To tell you the truth, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. Once I have a trainer I will talk goals and stuff with her.” He couldn’t hold in the chuckle as the ‘her’ was drawn out and louder than the rest.

  She glowered at him, and he grinned as a plan formed in his mind. “You came in on the perfect day. We’re running a special, six months’ membership for the price of one year, and if you sign up today, you’ll get a personal trainer twice a week.” He gave her their six month membership price and knew his sister would try to kill him when she found out what he did, but Brian, in his thirty-six years, had never had an instant attraction to a woman. Sure, he’d lusted after many, even thought he’d loved one once, but a woman had never consumed his thoughts from the moment he met her like Susie did. She was his mate. It explained why she smelt like his favourite food and he found her gorgeous when usually he wouldn’t even glance her way. His cock hadn’t deflated since he saw her. He wasn’t going to let her get away.

  Susie nodded. “All right, can I read over the contract? If everything is okay, I will pay today, so I can start ASAP.” He nodded as he made the changes he needed to the contract and printed it out before handing it to her.

  She grabbed the contract. Her hand brushed his, further confirming that she was his mate when the tension in the room seem to double. She shivered, and her mango and honey scent intensified. His bear come to the forefront growling at him to throw their mate over his shoulder, take her to their home, and show her all the benefits of being with a bear shifter.

  He watched as she read through the pages, using them to try and hide every time she looked at him. Susie bit her lip. Brian swore when he couldn’t sit anymore with the tightness in his pants, thanks to his dick being painfully hard against his jeans. He stood, adjusted himself, and noticed her eyes never left his crotch.

  She signed the contract without even looking at the rest. She stood slowly, and mumbled, “Um, I better go now. Nice meeting you. I look forward to starting with one of your f-e-m-a-l-e personal trainers.”

  He couldn’t help the wide toothy grin that spread over his face as she again stated that she wanted a female, and not him, as a trainer. When he reached for her hand, she avoided his touch only to trip on a chair and fall into his chest. A whimper escaped her as his hands came around her. “Careful, honey.”

  She lingered for a moment or two before pulling away from him and rushing out of the room, grumbling, “Thanks.”

  Tomorrow would be a long day
, but if he had a say in it, it would end on a high note. He looked over at the object of his desire, and images of the perfect way to exercise flashed across his mind. He knew a stupid smile spread over his face, but he didn’t care.

  ****

  With a bounce in her step, Susie strolled through her townhouse front door. She couldn’t wait to get started tomorrow afternoon. It worked out perfectly. She would meet with her personal trainer at five o’clock to have her first half-hour session. She’d have time to buy some much needed workout clothes.

  She called her friends and planned Saturday night out to celebrate her new fitness kick. Satisfied with her day and bursting with ideas, she went to her computer to write with a new lead character in mind. A tall man, olive-skinned, sky blue-eyed, with midnight black hair and big kissable lips. The perfect hero for her next book.

  Chapter Two

  Five minutes early, Susie walked into Healthy Bodies in her new black yoga pants, sports bra, and a white baggy T-shirt over the top. She was ready to start her new fitness regime. A pretty teenage girl sat at the reception desk this time. She smiled at Susie. “Hello, welcome to Healthy Bodies. What can I do to help you today?”

  Susie was pleasantly surprised by the young girl’s professionalism. “Hi, my name is Susie. I joined yesterday and was told to come here for a locker key.” The girl nodded and handed her a key from under the reception desk.

  “I’m Tayler. It’s nice to meet you. Would you like me to show you where to go or did they show you yesterday?”

  Susie smiled at Tayler. “Thank you. That would be great. I left yesterday without asking for a tour. Silly, I know.”