Bear With Me

  Evernight Publishing ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2015 Vanessa Devereaux

  ISBN: 978-1-77233-266-7

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: Melissa Hosack

  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

  To all the readers of my Kalispell Shifter series. Thank you. You make it all worthwhile.

  BEAR WITH ME

  Kalispell Shifters, 7

  Vanessa Devereaux

  Copyright © 2015

  Chapter One

  “There’s really no need to take your clothes off.”

  Bear hoped Alice Davidson had detected the tinge of sarcasm in his last comment, but alas she hadn’t because she was still stripping. He’d hazard a guess she hadn’t even been listening to what he’d said. The saddest thing was she’d only come into the clinic to get her finger checked out.

  “Stop right there,” he said. Bear guessed Alice, just like some of his other patients, was about to take off her panties and flash him her pussy.

  In the last month, and since beginning work at the new hospital, he’d seen more of those than he cared to remember. None of the patients had come to see him regarding any gynecological problems which almost made him laugh…almost.

  “Let’s take a look at your finger,” said Bear, leading Alice over to the lighted magnifying glass before she could remove yet another item of clothing.

  “It hurts like hell when I put my finger on the keyboards,” said Alice.

  “I can see what the problem is. You have a sliver. Hold still and I’ll have it out in no time.” Bear reached for the tweezers and pulled it from her finger, lifting it up so she could see it.

  “Must have happened while I was chopping wood,” she said.

  “Always a good idea to wear gloves.”

  “Don’t suppose you have time to give me a complete physical?”

  Bear hoped she didn’t see the grin on his face. Every female asked him that same question at the end of their appointment.

  “Sorry, I don’t. I’m busy all day, but you could make an appointment.”

  Bear knew he was safe to say that because his schedule was booked solid for the next two weeks. Hopefully by then Alice’s and all the other shifter’s libidos would have finally calmed down.

  “I guess I’ll have to wait then.” She put her bra and blouse back on and quickly buttoned it up.

  “Nice meeting you, Alice,” said Bear, extending his hand. She shook it but now wouldn’t let it go.

  “I’ll make that appointment on the way out,” she said, finally releasing him from her grip.

  Bear sat down and once she was out of earshot he burst out laughing. So many women giving themselves freely to him, and not one he’d want to date, or even fuck for that matter. Not that it would be appropriate to do that sort of thing with a patient. The next woman that played hard to get, well he was going to ask her out because she’d be a breath of fresh air.

  A knock on the door took his thoughts away from his current dilemma. He looked up to see Charlotte Renner standing in the doorway. He’d almost forgotten she was his next patient.

  “Am I too early, too late maybe?” she asked him.

  “Just in time,” said Bear. “Come on in.”

  “Looks like we might have to recruit another doctor for this department. The waiting room’s full.” Charlotte winked at him. “I think the next one shouldn’t be so gorgeous though.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere. Okay, let’s help you up on the table and take a look at how things are going.”

  Charlotte was by no means his first human patient. However, she’d heard about him through the shifter grapevine and that he’d once been a Kalispell group member, but was now one of the best OB/GYN doctors in Vancouver, Canada. She’d flown there last year after she’d discovered she was pregnant and begged him to come work at their newly opened hospital where shifters could be patients without raising suspicions. A place where he now worked alongside her, two other doctors in training, four nurses, and a nurse in training, Mia, who also doubled as his assistant and secretary. Charlotte’s other reason for twisting his arm to come join them was she needed someone to deliver her baby. The first human/shifter hybrid as far as anyone knew.

  He held her hand as she struggled up on the examining table and laid flat on her back.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “I pee every ten minutes now, especially at night which means I don’t get much sleep. Neither does Aiden. I’m feeling like a beached whale, so I guess it means I’m ready to give birth.”

  “I don’t think it will be too long now. You want to lift up your blouse for me?”

  Charlotte pulled it up as Bear eased her maternity pants downward. She’d been wise in making sure a shifter took care of her and would deliver the baby, because she’d developed some markings that were normal on shifters but not humans. A dark ring, similar to a shifter’s mating circle, had appeared around her navel during her second trimester. It was now almost completely joined which meant she was very close to giving birth or at least a shifter would be. It was a mark that would have definitely raised alarms had she been visiting a regular MD.

  Bear placed the stethoscope on her belly and listened. He knew the sex of the baby but Charlotte and her husband, Aiden, a fellow bear shifter, didn’t, so he always referred to it as Little One in their presence. He also knew the name didn’t suit its size. Little One was going to weigh at least nine pounds.

  “Little One’s heartbeat sounds great. By the feel of things, Little One has dropped down into the birth channel. Although your due date isn’t for another ten days, I’m guessing you won’t go that long.”

  “Sort of scary and exciting at the same time,” said Charlotte, sitting up.

  “You have everything ready?”

  “Yep, nursery’s finally finished, and my bag’s packed for my trip here. Aiden’s a wreck, so be gentle with him on the big day.”

  “I’ll give him plenty to do during your labor.”

  “Great because I know he’ll be more nervous than me.”

  He held Charlotte’s arm while she swung her legs around and sat on the edge of the table.

  “Have you found someone to date yet?” she asked him.

  “Been too busy, and to be honest I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t think I could spend any more time in the presence of a female…present company excepted.”

  Charlotte burst out laughing. “Maybe we need to match you up with a human. I’d like to say we’re a lot less pushy, but alas that’s not true. For some of us when we see a man we want we just go for it.”

  He helped her to her feet. Bear was so sick of females he didn’t even want to talk about dating, so he politely changed the topic. “I have everything covered here so as far as I’m concerned. Beginning today, you’re now on maternity leave.”

  “I won’t know what to do with myself until the baby arrives.”

  “You’re going to be plenty busy when that happens so enjoy your free time now. Put your feet up, watch TV, and relax.”

  They walked to the door and then outside where three women immediately looked up from the magazines they’d been reading. They smiled at him. He didn’t want to seem rude so he smiled back, but hoped they
didn’t think it was him giving them permission to strip as soon as they got into his office.

  “If you need me or think you’re in labor, even if you have a twinge, I’m here twenty-four hours a day for you,” Bear told Charlotte. “I’m still grateful to you for giving me the chance to work here among my own kind.”

  “We’re lucky to have you and I promise first signs of labor, you’ll be the first call I make.”

  Charlotte headed out of the clinic so Bear turned back to his three upcoming patients. He walked over to Mia who was working the reception desk today.

  “Who’s next?” he asked her.

  “I am,” said a woman, jumping up before Mia could even get a word out.

  “I think you’ll find that I have the ten p.m. appointment,” said another.

  “I have the 9.45 one, so I beat both of you,” said the third one, getting up and throwing her magazine down on the chair as if she was offering a challenge.

  Mia raised her eyebrows. So did Bear as the woman marched straight into the office.

  “Duty calls,” he said under his breath while walking in behind her. He shut the door.

  “So what brings you here…”

  Just like Alice, she was half way undressed, her panties already sitting on the tops of her feet. Bear raised his nose in the air. She was near the start of her mating cycle, which meant she’d be extra playful and do anything to get him interested in fucking her. He took a deep breath. Maybe he should think about having a tranquilizer gun and net standing by.

  “I need you to check out my pussy,” she announced, getting up on the table and putting her feet in the stir-ups without him even asking her to. “Something doesn’t fit right and I need you to feel it and figure out why it aches so much.” She ran her finger around its opening. “Hurry, doctor, because it needs attention ASAP.”

  Oh boy, this was going to be a hell of a long day. After his clinic hours were done he’d go somewhere to get a cold beer and relax for the evening. Hopefully there wouldn’t be a woman in sight.

  ****

  Hannah lit the candles on each of the tables. Heavy rain had set in early in that day causing business at the Starlight Café to become slow. She didn’t expect many dinner customers, but she still loved seeing all the lights flicker as she dimmed the café’s main overhead lighting.

  She turned suddenly when she heard the keys of the piano all being pressed at what sounded like the very same time. Sam was sitting on the stool striking them with his fists.

  “Honey, you going to play us something tonight?”

  He didn’t respond but instead looked at her with the vacant glare she’d come to expect. At least he was out of his room. That was a good thing, right? Maybe the new place and scenery was a turning point for him.

  Autism the doctor had diagnosed. She’d read other parents’ stories of dealing with it, the constant struggle to communicate, and for the child, difficulty communicating his needs to others. Worse still, she was also a single parent and sometimes wanted to scream when the weight of his condition bore down on her shoulders. Many nights she’d cried herself to sleep thinking if she was ever granted one wish it would be that for one day someone would come along and lift this weight off her shoulders so she could breathe again, if only for twenty-four hours.

  She jumped again upon hearing the bell over the door ring. Just thinking about the situation with Sam made her edgy and nervous which she knew was stupid. She turned toward the door where a very handsome guy stood on this chilly for April evening. His hair looked damp from no doubt being out in the rain, which gave it a slight wave that complimented his strong jawline and the high cheekbones. He smiled at her, forcing her to do little else but return the gesture. The muscles in her face had almost forgotten how to do that. It felt good. She walked over to him, hoping he was actually a customer and not someone who’d gotten lost and was asking for directions to Glacier National Park. Being on the north-west side of Kalispell meant she often got people doing just that.

  He rubbed his hands together. “Thought I’d have someone else cook for me tonight,” he said.

  Hannah grabbed a menu off the rack on the wall. “You feel like sitting near the window or would you rather not be reminded of the weather outside?”

  “I love rain, love watching the water cascade down the panes,” he said.

  She loved that too. She’d often thought herself strange for sitting and observing each trickle of rain. Sometimes as a child she’d counted how long it took for one to travel from the top to the bottom of a window.

  “How’s this one,” she asked, pointing to the table by the large seamless window.

  “Couldn’t have picked a better one myself. I’m Bear McWilliams.” He held out his hand to her and she slipped hers inside. He had a firm handshake just as she’d expected of a man his size. Her hands weren’t small, but they looked so tiny nestled in his.

  “Hannah Morrison, owner of the Starlight.”

  Just as she’d finished speaking, Sam chose that second to hit all the keys on the piano again, causing Bear to turn around.

  “That’s my son, Sam.”

  “Hi, Sam, nice to meet you,” Bear called over to him.

  “Sam, would you come here and introduce yourself to Bear?”

  Sam shook his head.

  “Sam, that’s not very polite,” said Hannah.

  “That’s fine. He’s probably shy. I was just like that at his age. I’m guessing he’s what seven or eight?”

  “Sam turned seven two months ago.”

  Bear sat, took the menu from her, and set it down in front of him.

  “Can I get you something to drink while you look that over?” asked Hannah.

  “A beer would be perfect for me. I’ve had sort of a long day.”

  He ran his hands through his hair. Hannah watched as those big hands made their way through the waves.

  “I’ll just go grab that for you. And our soup of the day is fire roasted tomato.”

  She walked back to the kitchen and opened up the cooler and pulled out a beer. On the way back to the main café she grabbed a glass and headed to Bear’s table. A beer for bear. How silly was that. Bear, unusual name and it sorted of suited him. Big and manly.

  “Here you go,” she said, putting both items down in front of him.

  He immediately poured himself half a glass.

  “You want some more time to look over the menu?”

  “No, I’m pretty good at knowing what I want as soon as I see it.” He looked at her. Was that an innocent remark or did it have a hidden meaning? If it was aimed at her then he was out of luck, because she didn’t date any more.

  “I’d like the salmon sandwich,” he finally said.

  “One of my favorites and that comes with French fries and coleslaw.”

  “Can’t wait to try it.”

  He handed the menu to her and as she took it their fingers brushed, making her feel like she had when she’d first met Sam’s father. She remembered how excited he’d made her feel, and how special. She stopped herself right there. He was the last guy she’d been with and it hadn’t ended well.

  “Something wrong?” he asked her.

  “No, I’m sorry just a bit tired. I’ve had a long day too. I’ll get this order in straight away.”

  She turned and patted Sam on the head as she walked by him. She wasn’t sure why but she decided to look back at Bear. Sure enough he was looking at her as well.

  ****

  Shit. He’d been caught red-handed.

  Bear thought he’d had enough of females for the day, maybe enough for a whole lifetime. He thought the Starlight Café would be his ideal sanctuary, his safe haven against all things estrogen. He’d been here a couple of times before but had never met the owner before tonight. He’d heard Charlotte mention her but had assumed she was a middle aged woman. Why he didn’t know.

  Tonight he found out he’d been totally wrong and it had taken him by surprise. Hannah Morrison was in her
late twenties possibly early thirties. She was pretty with strawberry blonde hair and a few freckles over the bridge of her nose like she’d been sunbathing. She was curvy too just how he liked his woman to be. Even if his mind had become fatigued by females, his body clearly hadn’t. Within mere minutes of spotting her he’d gone hard and blood had pumped around his body at twice its usual speed. He’d even felt it pulsing inside his head.

  Bear’s mind had drifted off while he’d been looking over the menu. It had also gone way south into the gutter. He’d thought about touching her pussy, making her wet, hearing her cry out when he brought about her orgasm.

  Phew. He was worked up. He rolled the cold beer bottle over his forehead, hoping it would cool him down along with his libido. He was no better than the women who’d thrown themselves at him today. Well, at least he hadn’t dropped his jeans and boxers and shown her the goods.

  In fact, he found Hannah the refreshing change he was hoping for. She hadn’t shown the least bit of interest in him. She’d been all business and he liked it. He, like the big alpha bear he was, had to do the pursuing. That was one of the fun things about being with a woman. Or trying to be with her.

  The bell over the door rang and a few more customers strolled in. Hannah returned with his meal and placed the plate down in front of him. It smelled heavenly and it looked divine.

  “Anything else I can get you?”

  “No, I think I have everything I need for right now.”

  Had she realized he’d put more emphasis on the right now bit of that comment? Food was okay for now, but later he’d been looking for female companionship and she was in contention.

  “Enjoy.”

  She walked over to the two other couples, seated them, and then headed back out to what he assumed was the kitchen. Bear took his first bite of the sandwich. He’d been right. It was divine. Nothing like salmon to get his taste buds excited.